BROTHERLY GLOVE: Travis d’Arnaud, a catching prospect the Mets received in the R.A. Dickey trade, grew up playing ball in the yard with brother Chase (inset), who is in the Pirates’ system. (
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For young Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud, the road to Citi Field began in his driveway.
“We have this long driveway that goes all the way to the backyard,’’ Chase d’Arnaud, Travis’ older brother, told The Post yesterday of growing up in Long Beach, Calif. “We broke windows, but that didn’t stop us. We worked on hitting the ball up the middle because if you pulled the ball, you’d drill the house.’’
Mostly, they used tennis balls. They hit them with such force, windows were no match.
“Across the street was a home run, and as the years went by we started to hit balls over the neighbors’ houses,’’ Chase said.
All those fun and games have paid off in a major way. Travis was the centerpiece of the Mets’ trade of Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to the Blue Jays on Monday, a deal in which the Mets also acquired right-handed pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard, 18-year-old outfielder Wuilmer Becerra and veteran catcher John Buck. Chase d’Arnaud is an infielder with the Pirates.
The Mets are expecting big things from Travis, and rightfully so. He is considered the top catching prospect in the minors.
“Growing up I was a big Dodger fan, so I grew up watching Mike Piazza and Russell Martin,’’ Travis said in a conference call yesterday. “I actually met Russell Martin one time last year, played against him in spring training. Told him I grew up watching him play and we had a little laugh about it. He felt a little old, it was kind of funny.’’
As for Piazza, Travis said, “I used him as my role model. I tried to play like him and catch like him and even hit like him. I’m really honored to be part of the Mets, where he played as well, and I’m really looking forward to it.
“As a catcher I feel team chemistry is really important, and knowing your pitching staff is one of the most important things as a catcher. Growing together and learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses is a great way to build a championship team and a championship organization.’’
Travis d’Arnaud knows how to have fun as well. At Double-A
New Hampshire in 2011 he blasted 21 home runs and was the Eastern League’s MVP.
“Every time I hit an opposite field home run I would just prance around the dugout, yelling out ‘Oppo-Taco’ and get a lot of laughs out of everyone,’’ he said. “It really helped with our team chemistry.’’
He even had Oppo-Taco T-shirts made.
D’Arnaud said the pressure of a major trade will not affect him. After all, he was dealt from the Phillies to the Blue Jays in the Roy Halladay deal.
“I’ve been through this before,’’ he said.
D’Arnaud, 23, has suffered a series of injuries, including a serious knee injury last year, but proclaimed he feels “100 percent now.’’
Asked if he was major-league ready, Travis, who is a baseball version of a gym rat, said, “It’s not up to me. I’m just going to go out there and work hard and play every day.’’
Have fun just like he did every day during those driveway games. Travis started catching when he was 12.
“I was playing all the positions and my dad asked me to get back there because no one else would do it,’’ he said.
Chase is two years older than Travis.
“It was great playing with Travis growing up,’’ Chase said. “If I could do it all over again, I would appreciate it even more. It would be awesome to play against each other [in the majors]. Someday we’d love to play on the same team.’’
This is the kind of player and person the Mets have acquired.
“He’s a confident kid and sometimes, maybe, soft-spoken,’’ Chase said of his brother, “but whatever team he is on, he’s always got their best interests in mind. Flat out, he’s just a ballplayer. He loves playing baseball.’’
The Mets have caught a big winner in Travis d’Arnaud.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com