Devin Mesoraco credits Mets hitting coach Pat Roessler for recent surge
Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco races to third before scoring a fourth-inning run against the Braves at SunTrust Field on May 28, 2018, in Atlanta. Credit: Getty Images / Scott Cunningham
ATLANTA — Baseball players tend to be creatures of habit, but Devin Mesoraco is thriving by being a champion of change.
He said Monday that shortly after joining the Mets, he enlisted hitting coach Pat Roessler to diagnose what was wrong with his swing. Following Roessler’s advice is paying big dividends, including two straight games with a ninth-inning home run.
“I said, ‘Hey, it’s been a [struggle] for me for quite some time,’ ” Mesoraco said. “ ‘Whatever suggestions you have, I’d be open.’ ”
Roessler saw that Mesoraco was hunched over too much, causing him to be late on pitches. The catcher straightened up, a “pretty big adjustment,” he said, and the hits started coming. On Monday, he hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning of the Game 1 loss, his fifth home run since the May 8 trade from the Reds. All the homers have come in the eighth or later.
“It’ll continue to be a process, but getting at-bats helps, getting everyday playing time helps,” he said. “I think getting some confidence. It’s been a long time since I’ve been a good player, so you have some days where there is more doubt than others.”
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
