Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud has been a fixture for the team since he signed before the 2020 season. He's been an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger, and was behind the plate for every inning during the team's incredible 2021 postseason run.
He's become a favorite in the clubhouse because of his leadership skills, and he's been a fan favorite because of his hair that constantly pokes through his helmet and because his shorter stature of... 6'2".
Wait, 6'2"? If you've seen d'Arnaud play, this measurement will likely surprise you, as it did this fan. According to multiple sites, including MLB.com and Baseball-Reference, d'Arnaud is listed at six-foot, two-inches, which is also 74 inches tall or 1.8796 meters tall (I really just want to hammer home that this is not a typo).
But is the Braves backstop really this tall? let's investigate.
How tall is Travis d'Arnaud, actually?
Travis d'Arnaud compared to Will Smith
This is probably the most iconic moment in d'Arnaud's entire career. After the Braves secured the final out in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series, Travis rushed to embrace Will Smith.
In this shot, d'Arnaud is much shorter than the Will Smith of the reliever variety. The former Braves closer and three-peat World Series winner is listed at 6'5". Is this massive height difference only three inches? Maybe, but we should probably take a look at someone whose listed height is a little closer to d'Arnaud.
Travis d'Arnaud compared to Austin Riley
The All-Star third baseman has been teammates with d'Arnaud for the catcher's entire tenure with the team. Not only do we get plenty of pictures of the two during mound visits, we get shots of the two after d'Addy bombs.
Like Smith, Riley looks significantly taller than the catcher, albeit not nearly as towering as the 6'5" Will Smith. According to Baseball-Reference, Riley is taller than d'Arnaud, but only by one inch, if these measurements are to be believed.
Is Riley's 6'3" on the high-side and d'Arnaud's 6'2" on the low-side, or is the catcher much shorter than his listed height?
Travis d'Arnaud compared to Amed Rosario
Okay, this one might not be entirely fair, as Amed Rosario is hopping over the bag and Travy, while slightly off the ground, doesn't have the vertical his teammate had, they look like they have vastly different heights.
And yet, both players are listed at 6'2". I don't know which to believe.
Travis d'Arnaud compared to Chase d'Arnaud
Everybody loves being compared to their siblings, so let's compare Travis to his brother, Chase d'Arnaud.
Braves fans might remember Chase, who played with the team in 2016 and 2017, and although there aren't a ton of shots of the two, he should be a great frame of reference.
Here are the two in 2012. While we can't see their feet, neither appears to be leaning or slouching too much, and Chase is clearly the taller of the brothers.
The brothers d'Arnaud (Travis & Chase) catch up pre-game Sunday. Chase starts at 2B for #pirates today. pic.twitter.com/KNLjGrD7
— Mike Cormack (@MikeCormack) March 4, 2012
Here's another shot, four years later, when the pair got to play each other, again, Chase looks to be the taller sibling. However, this time the height difference doesn't seem to be as extreme.
Brothers Chase and Travis d'Arnaud chat with Yoenis Cespedes during batting practice at Turner Field. pic.twitter.com/eM37tez8w6
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) June 24, 2016
This Instagram post by Chase seems to support the height difference of the first picture, with Chase being roughly an inch or two taller than his younger brother.
So how tall is Chase, anyway? 6'3"? Maybe even 6'4", right?
Well, according to Baseball-Reference, Chase d'Arnaud is 6'1", which would mean that he's supposed to be shorter than Travis.
Yeah, we don't buy it either.
Travis d'Arnaud is likely shorter than his listed height
If it isn't obvious, the Braves catcher is likely shorter than his listed height of 6'2". Using other players as a frame of reference (players who also might be shorter than their listed heights, too), d'Arnaud is shorter than what would be expected of someone who is 74 inches tall.
If we had to take our best guess at Travis d'Arnaud's actual height, we would probably estimate that he is in between 5'10" and 6'0".
But how did d'Arnaud's height become so inaccurate? If you look back at his Perfect Game profile from 2007, the site lists him at 6'1". This hasn't changed since at least 2011, which as far as the Wayback Machine goes for this URL.
What might have happened is that d'Arnaud was measured in cleats while other players aren't, or that whoever measured him didn't push down on his very, very spiky hair.
Whatever the reason, we can say with near certainty that the 6'2" listing is inaccurate. So for you out there like me who thought they were going crazy when they saw the listing, rest assured, you're not that crazy.
And if you're Travis d'Arnaud, you have other aspirations to look forward to beyond your height, like being the future manager of the Atlanta Braves.