Now that the 2023 season is over for the New York Mets, we have been looking back at the year that was. After taking a more general view of the offense, pitching, and coaching staff, it’s time to take a deeper dive into the Mets’ players. This series will take a look at every player on the roster for the Mets at the end of the season from A (Abraham Almonte) to W (Josh Walker). The review will look at their season statistics, stories, and what role (if any) they will have next season. We continue the series today with a look at infielder Ronny Mauricio.
Player Review: Ronny Mauricio
2023 Stats:
Minor Leagues: 116 Games, 490 At Bats, .292 Batting Average, 143 Hits, 30 Doubles, 3 Triples, 23 Home Runs, 71 RBIs, 76 Runs Scored, 24 Stolen Bases, 35 Walks, .852 OPS
Major Leagues: 26 Games, 101 At Bats, .248 Batting Average, 25 Hits, 4 Doubles, 2 Home Runs, 9 RBIs, 11 Runs Scored, 7 Stolen Bases, 7 Walks, .643 OPS, 0.2 WAR
Story: After a strong season in winter ball, Ronny Mauricio arrived in spring training looking to make a mark on the New York Mets. Mauricio tore the cover off the ball in camp, raising expectations that he could contribute to the 2023 club, but with Francisco Lindor locked in at his natural position of shortstop the organization opted to send Mauricio down to AAA Syracuse to start the year.
The hot hitting continued at Syracuse for Mauricio, who routinely launched highlight worthy homers at AAA, but the organization’s slow decision to move him off of shortstop delayed Mauricio’s arrival to the majors. The Mets eventually had Mauricio play some second base and outfield while he continued raking, making fans clamor for Mauricio as some of the big league club’s veterans struggled to generate offense. General Manager Billy Eppler continued to push back on calls to promote Mauricio, notably saying that he still had some bench marks to clear in August, even as the Mets had given up on competing for a championship after the trade deadline.
The Mets waited for rosters to expand in September to give Mauricio his shot and he showed some flashes of brilliance, delivering some of the most explosive hits the franchise has seen in the Statcast era, including a tank job to the Coca Cola Corner for his first career home run on September 12th. Mauricio played primarily second base defensively and was fine there, although the team did get him a bit of work at third as well. The one concern in Mauricio’s game was his free-swinging ways as he struck out 31 times in 101 at bats, a very high percentage that the Mets would like to see him cut down in the future.
Grade: C+
The Mets waited at least a month too long to call up Mauricio and he showed some serious flashes of potential offensively while playing solid defense at second base. The strikeouts are a concern but Mauricio’s potential to be a game wrecker was on full display throughout the month of September.
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration Eligible
Odds Of Returning: 100%
2024 Role: Utility Infielder
New President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has hinted that Mauricio’s easiest path to playing time could be at third base, where he is expected to compete with Brett Baty for a job in spring training. Mauricio is planning to play more third base in winter ball to get additional reps at the position and if he beats out Baty at third would be a big league regular in 2024. Another option could be to see Mauricio make the team as a utility player who gets reps at second and third multiple times a week while serving as the backup shortstop, essentially upgrading the role Luis Guillorme played last season before being non-tendered last week. Either way, it appears that Mauricio has a good shot to start 2024 in Queens.
Check back tomorrow as our Player Review Series continues with a look at second baseman Jeff McNeil!
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