Video: Kevin Plawecki connects for his first major league home run

By Bill BaerApr 25, 2015, 6:15 PM EDT
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Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki slugged his first major league home run on Saturday afternoon against Yankees lefty CC Sabathia. The 24-year-old was ahead in the count 2-1 before sending an 88 MPH fastball over the fence in left field on a line drive.

Plawecki got his first hit in his first major league game, but had gone 0-for-7 in his other two games entering Saturday’s contest. He’s replacing Travis d’Arnaud, who suffered a fractured right hand on Sunday when he was hit by an A.J. Ramos pitch.

The Mets had their 11-game winning streak snapped on Friday night, but are set to rebound as they lead the Yankees 7-2 as of this writing.

Yasmani Grandal signs a four-year, $73 million deal with the White Sox

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By Craig CalcaterraNov 21, 2019, 12:09 PM EST
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The first truly big free agent signing of the offseason has gone down: the Chicago White Sox just announced that they have signed catcher Yasmani Grandal to a four-year, $73 million deal.

Grandal, 31, was the best catcher available in free agency. He is coming off a fine year with the Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he had to settle for a one-year pact in 2019. He hit .246/.380/.468 with 28 homers and 77 driven in. It was his fourth straight season with 20+ homers. While his catching has been criticized due to some high-profile mistakes in the postseason, the two-time All-Star once again proved himself to be one of the best pitch-framers in the game if not the best. Between the bat and the glove he has a claim to being one of the best all-around catchers in baseball.

The signing leaves open the question of what happens to James McCann, who was himself an All-Star this year. It’s not that hard a question, of course, as Grandal is a far superior catcher to McCann in every respect. The Sox could make McCann a backup. Alternatively, they could try to trade him to fill other holes on the roster.

The White Sox finished 72-89 in 2019 but are showing signs of coming out of rebuilding mode and into contention mode. This signing pushes them a big step into that direction.