Tomas Nido: Mets Back Up Catcher (2017-2020)

-
Tomas E. Nido Vicens was born April 12th, 1994 in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. He was born into a very athletic family. 

 Parents: His mother Liana Vicens, competed at age 11, in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, as a swimmer. His father Tomas Sr. won a tennis medal in the 1982 Central American & Caribbean Games.

 His grandfather was a Puerto Rican National basketball Player. Also his great Uncle, Juan Vincens, was once dubbed "The Best Player In the World" in the 1959 FIBA Championships.

Quotes- Tomas Nido: "We are a very athletic family. It sticks out about my mom, she was very young, so the work ethic from a young age is something to be really proud of & has definitely helped me".
Nido grew up in Seminole County Florida & was to play baseball for the Florida State Seminoles. 

 Instead the New York Mets selected him as an 8th round pick in 2012 & he we went to A ball with the Kingsport Mets. He then spent two seasons with the Brooklyn Cyclones (2013-2014) before climbing the minor league ladder.

In 2016 he won a batting title with the St,. Lucie Mets. The next year he as at AA Binghamton & played in the Futures Game. That year he got a big league September call up. 

Nido is a fine defensive catcher, with good pop time & highly rated at making strikes for pitchers.

Nido made his MLB debut on September 13th, 2017 as a 9th inning defensive replacement in a 17-5 Mets loss to the Chicago Cubs. He would make two more late inning appearances, collecting his first two hits in those game. He closed out the season starting two games behind the plate.

2018: In 2018 he saw lots more action, due to the ulnar collateral injury to Travis d'Arnaud and the Mets other catching issues. Nido got into 34 games throughout the season, batting .167 (14-84) with three RBIs. He threw out 5 of 20 base stealers (20%) making four errors for a .983 fielding %. 

2019: Nido would make the team out of Spring Training, as

the teams back up catcher. He would have a great rapport behind the plate with Mets pitchers, especially Noah Syndergaard. His defense was good as usual although base runners stole 34 of 37 bases on him.

 Once again he batted under .200, hitting .191 with 4 HRs 5 doubles & 14 RBIs in 50 games, 136 at bats.

 On April 28th, he had a pinch hit double, scoring two runs in a 5-2 Mets win over the Milwaukee Brewers. In May he hit two of his four HRs on the season, both coming in a six game span. 

Walk Off: In May 25th, he hit a walk off HR against Buck Famer & the Detroit Tigers.

 On July 6th, he cleared the bases with a three run double to center field off the Phils, Jake Arrieta. The runs proved to be the game winners in the 6-5 Mets win. 

In a three year career he played in 89 games, posting a .989 fielding % while throwing out 27% of would be base stealers. He is a lifetime .187 hitter with 43 hits 5 HRs 9 doubles & 26 RBIs.

In the Covid shortened 2020 season  the Mets resigned Rene Rivera, giving Nido some competition in the back up role.

Nido got into his first game on July 26th, he doubled & walked. On August 13th he had a monster day, hitting two HRs & driving in a career high six runs, leading the Mets to an 8-2 win over the Nats.

He contracted the Covid19 coronavirus & missed the last month of the season. At the time he was batting .292.  He spent 18 days bed ridden but made a strong recovery to return in 2021. 

2021: As the Mets upgraded the catcher spot, with James McCann, they left the back spot for Nido.

In his first start on April 13th, he hit a triple & scored a run in the Mets shut out of the Phillies. On May 5th, he hit his first HR, a two run shot in a 7-1 Mets win in St. Louis. 

On May 18th, his 9th inning HR broke a 3-3 ties in Atlanta & proved to be the game winning hit.
 
Nido would drive in two more runs
the next day & eight runs 8 runs over an 8 game period that week. He would only drive in two more runs thru the year & finish batting .222 with 3 HRs 5 doubles & 13 RBIs.

Behind the plate he was outstanding, making just 5 errors in 443 chances, as he threw out 57% of would-be base stealers & posted a .989 fielding % in 52 games. According to stat cast he was pitch framer in baseball. 

Family: In November 2020, Tomas & his wife Danielle had a daughter.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering Vixen Founder / Guitarist; Jan Kuehnemund (1961-2013)

-
Image
centerfieldmaz was shocked to learn of the sudden passing of Jan Kuehnemund, the founding member of the all female metal band Vixen. Jan was a fantastic guitarist, song writer & women pioneer in Heavy Metal. I am a huge fan of hard rock all girl bands & Vixen were one my long time favorites. Janice Lynn Kuehnemund was born November 18th, 1961 in St. Paul Minnesota. The female guitarist formed one of the first all female Metal bands in Minnesota with singer Janet Gardner while in high school in 1980. By 1985 they moved the band to Los Angles California, to be part of the Heavy Metal scene. In 1987 the classic Vixen line up of Jan Kuehnemund (lead guitar) Janet Gardner (vocals/ guitar) Share Pederson (bass) & Roxy Petrucci (drums) formed & released their debut album the following year. Vixen 1988 In a world of all male Heavy Metal bands during its heyday, Vixen were groundbreaking in being an all female metal band. The Runaways, with Joan Jett & Lita Ford
Read more

The 1970's Oakland A's Ball Girls- (MLB's First)

-
Image
In the days of the early seventies the Oakland A's won three straight Championships & changed the face of baseball forever.  The team's controversial owner was known to be cheap in paying his star players & known to meddle in the teams on field affairs. He drove managers crazy & even had Dick Williams resign after winning his second straight World Series. But Finley also revolutionized baseball in many other ways. He was instrumental in getting the designated hitter in the American League & have the World Series played at night, so fans could attend after work. He gave his players fancy names like Catfish, Blue Moon & True Blue.  When his star Reggie Jackson refused to shave his beard, he encouraged the whole team to grow facial hair by paying them $200 each.  The A's team even grew their hair long, a sign of the times. But before that baseball players had not had facial or long hair since the 1800's.  He introduced bright colored yello
Read more

Remembering Bobby Ojeda's Tragic Boating Accident (1993)

-
Image
Steve Olin, Tim Crews & Bob Ojeda March 22 nd 1993: was an off day from Spring Training, for three Cleveland Indians pitchers; Former Mets 1986 World Champion pitcher; Bobby Ojeda, Tim Crews & Steve Olin. The three friends, took out an 18-foot open-air bass boat & went out fishing & gator hunting in the darkness of the evening on Lake Nellie in Clermont, Florida. Tragedy struck, when the boat rammed into a private dock that jutted out some 250 feet into the still waters. Two other Cleveland Indians personnel had arrived to meet the fishing party just as the horror took place. They heard Bob Ojeda saying they needed help. The two men jumped into the water and called out for someone to call 911. 27 year old pitcher; Steve Olin was killed instantly. 31 year old pitcher; Tim Crews was alive but was struggling to breathe suffering from massive head wounds. Bobby Ojeda was in & out of shock, he was suffering from head lacerations but was coherent. The
Read more

The Story of the New York Mets Logo

-
Image
On November 16, 1961 cartoonist Ray Gotto (1916-2003) unveiled the circular New York Mets logo, a symbol which has virtually gone unchanged since its birth 55 years ago. Gatto was the illustrator of the "Ozark Ike" & "Cotton Woods" comic strips as well as having drawn many classic sports cartoons for the Sporting News. He won a contest that the club sponsored in order to start up a fan base beating out over 500 other entries for his design. The prize was not only to have his logo used but also $1000.  Artist Ray Gotto The original New York Mets team colors are blue and orange, the colors represent the two former National League teams who left New York for the West Coast. The orange represents the former New York Giants & the blue represents the Brooklyn Dodgers. Blue & orange are also the official colors of New York State. T he logo design is a round baseball with orange stitching and the Mets orange script lettering outlined in white ac
Read more

Steve Dillon: Former Bronx Native Who Pitched in The First Night Game at Shea Stadium Then 58 Years Later at Old Timers Day at Citi Field (1963-1964)

-
Image
Stephen Edward Dillon was born on May 20th, 1943, in Yonkers, New York. He was raised in the Bronx & attended Cardinal Hayes High School.  T he five-foot ten left-handed pitcher was originally signed by the A.L. New York club in 1962. That year he was 14-7 in the Florida State League at Fort Lauderdale. In November of 1962 he was drafted away by the new National League team, the New York Mets in the first-year draft.  He pitched at AAA Buffalo going 4-6 with a 4.94 ERA in 31 games, making 22 starts.  Mets Debut: He got a September call up making his MLB debut on September 5th, 1963, in St. Louis. Dillon came in relief of Roger Craig the 6th inning with two men on & one out. He got Dick Groat & Bill White to both ground out.  In the 7th, he gave up three hits including a two-run triple to Tim McCarver, in the Mets 9-0 loss to the Cardinals. In 1964 he found himself on the Mets staff at the start of the year. He pitched one inning of relief at Pittsburgh on April 24th,
Read more