Hyped Mets prospect Ronny Mauricio should seize alternative for name to the present

BALTIMORE — The sense throughout the Mets’ group is that Ronny Mauricio has turn out to be stale — as in disinterested — at Triple-A Syracuse as he awaits a attainable callup to the massive leagues.

Simply the actual fact Mauricio isn’t already with the Mets has rankled a lot of a fan base that would favor watching the staff’s prospects within the last 53 video games of non-contention, and positively a case could be constructed for that.

In any case, Mark Vientos is lastly getting a possibility to play (at Daniel Vogelbach’s expense), becoming a member of Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty as rookies within the Mets’ lineup. Rafael Ortega began in left discipline Friday in a 10-3 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards, however the journeyman doesn’t determine into the Mets’ future. The identical goes for DJ Stewart. Why not audition Mauricio?

The argument hinges upon whether or not you consider such an audition needs to be granted based mostly on a philosophy of “What do the Mets must lose?” or whether or not the 22-year-old Mauricio, who’s the staff’s greatest Triple-A prospect, must earn it.

Such a debate exists even throughout the group. For now, the faction that desires Mauricio to earn it’s holding regular.

It was anticipated that Mauricio would obtain a pep discuss, or one thing sterner, after he spent Thursday on the bench at Syracuse.

Mauricio has watched his pals Alvarez, Baty and Vientos get promoted to the Mets this season.

There may be the thought that he would possibly really feel left behind, and that frustration is manifesting in his latest play.

Mauricio, getting into Friday, was hitting .230 with a .745 OPS over his final 100 plate appearances. In lots of seasons that could be sufficient for a glass-half-full outlook, but it surely doesn’t move muster in a yr of Triple-A offensive explosion. Additionally, Mauricio’s strikeout fee over these 100 plate appearances was 25 p.c. For the primary three months of the season, he was at 16 p.c.

Possibly the size of the season is catching up with him. Mauricio went from enjoying within the Dominican Winter League (during which he was the MVP) to spring coaching after which to Syracuse after group officers debated whether or not he could be higher off starting the season at Double-A Binghamton and incomes his promotion to Triple-A in-season. As Friday started, Mauricio had logged 1,171 plate appearances since his final actual breather.

Questions persist about his protection. Mauricio was signed as a shortstop, however any dream he may need had of turning into the Mets’ subsequent nice participant on the place was doused when Francisco Lindor arrived after which signed a 10-year contract extension value $341 million. This season, Mauricio has shifted to second base and left discipline, however hasn’t performed adequately at both place. If he had been promoted to the Mets, left discipline and second base probably wouldn’t be choices for him at this level.

The place does that depart Mauricio? Third base is one risk. Mauricio was stable on the place over the winter, however would the Mets actually need to place him there with an absence of reps at Syracuse? Moreover, the Mets have already got Baty and Vientos to play third base. Baty has struggled offensively and defensively and it could possibly be argued that he would possibly profit from returning to Syracuse, however there have been no indications the Mets are contemplating such a transfer.

If Mauricio had been promoted for this last stretch it will probably be with the concept he might play shortstop a number of instances per week, permitting Lindor to slip into the DH function in these situations. Keep in mind, the Mets aren’t enjoying for a pennant this yr, so why burn out a participant reminiscent of Lindor who figures within the staff’s future? It’s not simply with Lindor for whom that applies. Adam Ottavino can return subsequent yr (he has a participant possibility) and Brooks Raley will nonetheless be below contract. The Mets aren’t going to let both burn out attempting to guard leads in non-pennant-race baseball.

This isn’t the primary time the Mets have puzzled about Mauricio’s curiosity degree. Final season, he languished at Binghamton after Alvarez, Vientos and Baty had been promoted to Syracuse. There was inside debate on the time whether or not Mauricio ought to get handed a promotion to appease him or if he wanted to earn it.

The Mets selected the latter course. A yr later, they’re sticking to it.