Josh Thole is getting an early jump on spring workouts.
After a lackluster 2011 season in which he struggled defensively, the Mets catcher will head to Dallas within the next two weeks to begin workouts with the organization’s catching coordinator, Bob Natal.
Thole said he expects to spend four days with Natal and then return to Dallas later in January for five additional sessions before spring training.
“It’s going to be about receiving the baseball,” Thole told The Post. “As I think it was well known, I had a bit of an issue early in the season with catching the baseball. I don’t want that, and I need to get back where I was previously.”
The Mets are counting on the 25-year-old backstop to rebound. Thole is expected to be the team’s starting catcher, with defensive specialist Mike Nickeas as the backup — though the Mets continue to explore other possibilities.
One option in which the Mets had interest, Luis Martinez, was traded to Texas yesterday after San Diego had designated him for assignment earlier in the week.
Thole, who shared time as the starter with Ronny Paulino in 2011, said he still is trying to prove he belongs.
“I didn’t have a tremendous year by any means,” said Thole, who hit .268 with three homers and 40 RBIs in 340 at-bats. “Every year for me, that’s what it’s going to be about — I’m going to have to prove myself every day in spring training and just show I can catch 162 games.”
Thole, who led the National League in passed balls with 16, said a fast start is important for him.
“I got stuck in the middle [in 2011], because I was working on a new receiving stance,” he said. “I was working on catching on my toes, and it’s something I haven’t done in the past.
“It made me a little firm to the ball. I just wasn’t’ receiving the ball softly at all. Toward the end of the season I really got back to where I should have been, as far as my stance goes, because it all starts there. If I can get my stance where I want it, the season will be no problem for me.”
Thole worked out with Natal after the 2009 season and then had what he considers his best year as a catcher. Thole entered the organization as a first baseman before becoming a catcher in 2006.
“Bob is just the type of guy who knows what I need,” Thole said. “If there’s something I need to make an adjustment on and I’m not quite sure I know what it is, Bob is the guy who knows how to get me back on track.”