New York Mets' Rookie Makes Incredibly Random Baseball Home Run History
The New York Mets lost to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday 5-2, but rookie infielder Ronny Mauricio showed off his power by hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning.
The young infielder is now hitting .260 since his call-up with two home runs, nine RBI and six stolen bases. He's sporting a .682 OPS at the age of 22.
What's cool about his power display on Sunday is that he made a little bit of niche baseball history according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Ronny Mauricio’s HR came on a pitch 1.23 ft above the ground
he hit it 112.9 mph
that’s the hardest-hit HR on a pitch that low or lower under Statcast (2015)
prior mark: 112.1 mph by Yoenis Céspedes on a 1.21-ft pitch on 4/5/18 (that's by any team! just happens to be a Met)
Yes, that's niche history but sometimes being a bad-ball hitter is a valuable skill. If that remains in Mauricio's arsenal, he'll have the ability to make pitchers pay for being anywhere near the zone.
He's currently the No. 4 prospect in the organization, per MLB.com.
The following comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Mauricio looms large in the box at 6-foot-3 and can make loud impact upon contact from an open stance, especially when hitting from the left side, where he has better slugging numbers. It’s that contact part that’s been a major issue. Mauricio can get aggressive and expand the strike zone with his massive cuts, particularly against spin, leading to a 4.4 percent walk rate, lowest among Mets Minor League qualifiers. Now facing advanced pitching in the upper Minors, he’ll have to make adjustments quickly to prove he’s capable of being more than all-power, little-hit.
The Mets are 71-85 and will host the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.
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