New York Mets Top Prospect Continues Dominance in Majors
The New York Mets have found themselves in an interesting spot for the remainder of the regular season. All of their remaining games are against teams contending for playoff spots.
They're in the middle of a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks who hold the final NL Wild Card spot entering Tuesday. The Mets face the Cincinnati Reds three times and the Miami Marlins six times who are two games and one-and-a-half games back of the Wild Card respectively.
They also face the Philadelphia Phillies seven times, which could have major playoff implications.
It's a good opportunity for their young players to compete against teams who are fighting for their playoff lives.
On Sept. 1, New York called up their No. 4 prospect in their pipeline Ronny Mauricio to start evaluating what he can do at the major league level.
He's lived up to the hype.
In nine games, the 22-year-old shortstop is hitting .313/.353/.375, including a double that scored two runs in their 4-3 loss against the Diamondbacks on Monday.
Manager Buck Showalter and the front office know that they need to evaluate their young talent, but also don't want to be completely uncompetitive knowing they're facing teams with a lot to play for down the stretch.
"It’s a juggling act, trying to be fair ethically but also be fair to us, trying to get as many looks at guys and trying to get ahead of things. Every at-bat, every game gets you a better catalog, so to speak, because obviously we’re going to have some decisions to make between now and next April," Showalter told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Veteran pitcher Jose Quintana knows the importance of these opportunities.
"This time of the year, when you’re facing teams playing for something, it’s really good for us. We need to show something to play against these guys in the race for the playoffs," he said.
