New York Mets Rookie Providing Hope for the Future

This New York Mets rookie is providing hope for the future.

​New York Mets’ rookie second baseman Ronny Mauricio has been outstanding since debuting on Sept. 1, giving fans something to be excited about heading into the offseason.

​Mauricio had been thriving all season long at Triple-A Syracuse, batting .292 and smashing 23 home runs for 71 RBI in 490 at-bats, adding 24 stolen bases, warranting the call-up when September came around.

​The 22-year-old burst onto the scene in his debut, smashing a double in his first at-bat that turned out to be the hardest hit ball by a Met all year at 117.3 miles per hour. That also tracks as the hardest first hit by an MLB player in the Statcast era according to Jason Bernard of MLB.com.

​He then followed that up with another hit, making history once again as the first Met with two hits in their MLB debut since pitcher Steven Matz in 2015, who had three hits against the Cincinnati Reds.

​Since then, Mauricio is 6-for-15 at the plate, racking up two more multi-hit games in a four-game stretch and notching his first Major League RBI in an impressive 11-5 win against the Washington Nationals. He has a slash line of .421/.421/.474 in five games, hitting the ball as efficiently as anyone in the league in that stretch while also racking up three stolen bases.

​When you watch Mauricio, a few things stand out about the 22-year-old second baseman. The first thing that jumps off the page is the swing and the power of his bat. Standing tall at 6"3 and 166 pounds, the lefty has a smooth, powerful swing that is capable of taking pitchers deep on any given at-bat.

​However, it is how Mauricio combines his size and power with a unique speed that has already given the infielder three stolen bases in five MLB contests. Mauricio is the prototypical athlete that teams look for in today’s game, similar to the Ronald Acuna Jr,, Elly De La Cruz model of being able to do everything on a baseball field.

On top of his glaring offensive abilities, Mauricio has also shown an ability to play almost anywhere in the infield or outfield. The youngster spent time as a third baseman, second baseman, shortstop and outfielder before the call-up and has since been solely playing second, but there is no doubt Mauricio will be able to move around should there be a need at another spot.

What does this mean for both Mauricio and the Mets going forward? For Mauricio, it is an eye-popping start to what could be a long career in New York, showing all signs that he can be a star next to the likes of Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and the other youngsters (Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos) and a consistent contributor in the years to come. It is definitely too early to determine the trajectory of his career, but Mauricio will certainly look to ride out this momentum for the rest of the year in hopes of earning a consistent lineup spot next year.

For the Mets, it means they may have stumbled into a huge piece in regards to the construction of the roster. Playing Mauricio at second allows Jeff McNeil to be a permanent outfielder alongside Brandon Nimmo and a healthy Starling Marte. He also offers a middle-of-the-lineup level bat that has the potential to produce 25+ home runs and 80+ RBI for years to come. There is no doubt that manager Buck Showalter will continue to play Mauricio in hopes that he has stumbled on a key piece in the Met lineup.