Ronny Paulino Gets His Chance Behind Plate For Mets

The New York Mets are making a change behind the plate, at least for the time being. With Josh Thole struggling to get hits, manager Terry Collins has decided to give Ronny Paulino a chance to be the every day catcher.

Collins stated that Thole will still catch and get a number of at-bats, but also added, “Right now, I just want to give him a chance to work on some things. We’ve got another guy we think is going to hit, too.”

Thole earned the starting job after batting .277 in 73 games last season for the Mets. This year however, the young backstop has struggled at the plate. He currently has a batting average of .205 with an on base percentage of just .281. Thole has been the teams regular catcher since the season began.

Paulino, in his first year with the Mets, has appeared in 13 games this season. In 36 at-bats, Paulino is hitting .306. Collins and the Mets will be taking a look to see if Paulino can continue his success with regular at-bats.

The team is not giving up on Thole, he is still young and has plenty of time to work through his struggles. However, this team is looking for more offense while injured players like Ike Davis, David Wright, and Angel Pagan are on the disabled list.

Collins has also been pleasantly surprised by Paulino’s defense and the way he handles the pitching staff.

Only time will tell if this move pays off, but it’s worth a shot. The players performing the best deserve a shot at regular playing time. It’s Paulino’s time to show what he can do.