No time for fuss. I’m outsourcing most of this one to 2011 me.

The catchers in April: Josh Thole, Mike Nickease.

Overview: Here’s what I wrote in this space last year:

I think David Wright and Jose Reyes spoiled us. We forget that it took Reyes two and a half seasons to reach his All-Star form, and we expect every player that comes through the system to quickly achieve the type of success that Reyes and Wright enjoyed early in their careers. It’s almost unbelievable that the Mets were able to develop two legitimate All-Stars in such a short time, yet now we hope every prospect can immediately reach that level.

But no team entirely consists of All-Stars, and good teams need guys, too. A frequent point of contention with Minaya’s administration was that the Mets too often complemented their great players with terrible ones, casting misplaced blame on the Wrights and Carlos Beltrans of the world when meanwhile Jeff Conine was still getting important at-bats. Great teams need dudes: Low-cost, generally homegrown contributors that can benefit a roster without vacuuming up the payroll that should be dedicated toward the All-Stars.

And I think Josh Thole might be a dude. In his first 286 Major League plate appearances, Thole has a solid .286/.357/.373 line. It’s a small sample and his power numbers won’t make anyone forget Mike Piazza, but Thole has nonetheless hit like a better than average catcher whenever he has been in the big leagues. Moreover, the numbers aren’t terribly out of line with his Minor League stats; Thole has always been a patient hitter with doubles power….

Thole is still young and reasonably new to Major League play, so he could endure an adjustment period at the plate in 2011. But we should be patient. He has hit in the Minors and worked to become a solid defender behind the plate. Cost-controlled catchers with an above-average ability to get on base don’t come around every day, and even if Thole needs some time to develop at the big-league level, he is likely good enough and young enough to contribute to the Mets’ next contender.

I still think all of that about Josh Thole. He endured some growing pains offensively and defensively in 2011, though the latter have been somewhat overblown: He led the league in passed balls, but many of them came with R.A. Dickey on the mound.

Thole’s still just 25. It doesn’t look like he’ll hit for much more power anytime soon, but he’s at the age when most hitters are still improving. It seems reasonable to expect that after more exposure to big-league pitching, Thole takes better swings at better pitches in 2012 and starts hitting like a better-than-average catcher again.

Thole’s backup, Mike Nickeas, doesn’t seem likely to hit much at all. Outside of strong years at Double-A in 2006 and 2010, Nickeas hasn’t hit well at any level above A-ball and enters the season the Mets’ backup catcher despite only 63 big-league at-bats on his resume. But Nickeas has a reputation as a great defender and a smart player, and he’s in the conversation with R.A. Dickey and Manny Acosta for best hair on the team if Danny Herrera doesn’t break camp with the Mets.

The catchers in September: Thole, Nickeas. If Nickeas doesn’t hit at all, he could be replaced by Lucas May or Rob Johnson. I like the guy, so I’m betting he manages to at least get on base some in limited at-bats against lefties.

How they stack up: Brian McCann is excellent, and his backup, David Ross, can hit a bit too. In Washington, Wilson Ramos got his career off to a great start last year. Ramos’ Major League OPS last year was better than his career Minor League line so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him slow down a bit, but it’d be foolishly optimistic to predict Thole will outperform him in 2012. John Buck had a really weird first year with the Marlins, walking more and playing more than he ever did in the American League but also hitting for way less power. Carlos Ruiz fell back toward Earth after a career 2010 and posted a .283/.371/.383 line, which sort of seems like the ceiling Josh Thole season.

Since Buck is 31 and Ruiz is 33, I’ll guess Thole manages to outplay one of them in 2012. More likely Buck, since Ruiz benefits from the Phillies’ magic even though he’s a 33-year-old catcher who caught 128 games in 2011.