Josh Thole on Fire

Check out his sick Spring Training stats, above. 382. average. Also, read the TCPalm article about him below:

Josh Thole moves around the New York Mets clubhouse these days with a sense of confidence.It is in stark contrast to Thole's approach last spring, when he quietly stayed close to his locker, absorbing whatever knowledge he could from the slew of veteran catchers around him.Thole, 24, is now the Mets' top catcher after earning the role in the second half of last season when he batted .277 with three homers and 17 RBIs over 73 games. At the same time, he also gained the respect of his pitching staff.Former Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino, a six-year veteran, will serve as Thole's back-up after the eight days left on his 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs are served. Mike Nickeas will fill in for Paulino in the early going."It's to the point where if something goes wrong, I can sit down and have a conversation with somebody and say why that didn't work," Thole said of the confidence he has gained from a year ago."It's just being more comfortable."Mets manager Terry Collins said Thole is ready to be an everyday catcher.The club traded catcher Rod Barajas in August, once Thole had proven himself reliable, and let Henry Blanco go in the offseason."Josh Thole has really improved as a defensive catcher," Collins said. "I saw him last spring for the first time, and the advancement he made from the start of the season to when he got called up was phenomenal."I think the handling of a pitching staff — this pitching staff in particular — makes him an everyday guy."Thole remains modest about his status.He came into camp with no expectations of being the No. 1 catcher and said his confidence instead stems from what he learned last year. The only difference was he felt less pressure to impress, compared to last year when he was battling veterans vying for a spot."The biggest thing was how the pitchers took me in, and having a little bit more experience definitely helped me out a lot," Thole said. "Just building the rapport with the pitchers. That was important for me, and I've been able to carry that into spring training and not lose anything."The bigger concern is how Thole's backups will perform.Nickeas, 28, made his major league debut last year, but played just five games and has spent seven years in the minor leagues.Paulino, 29, was signed this offseason for his bat — he has a .273 career average — but is still working to develop a rapport with the pitching staff after arriving late to camp due to visa issues. He doesn't feel he is too far behind, despite missing a month of camp."I've had the chance to catch pretty much everybody, and I'm getting to know what they like to do," Paulino said this week. "I think it's coming faster than I thought. Every communication and working with them is helping me get through that faster."