With the “Baby Mets” contingent of Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos already on the roster, many fans wonder how Ronny Mauricio fits into the club’s plans.
Mauricio, a shortstop by trade, has been playing short and second this season with Triple-A Syracuse. However, with the left side of the infield filled up with major leaguers the Mets are preparing their prospect to move to the outfield.
Mets GM Billy Eppler told the media prior to Friday’s game that Mauricio is beginning to get acclimated to left field. He started Thursday and is doing pregame warm ups out there on Friday.
“We’ve seen the amount of impact rosters to have players play multiple positions,” Eppler said. “It’s afforded Jeff McNeil a lot of opportunities, players like Kike Hernandez, DJ LeMahieu. We know Ronny can play on the left side of the infield.
“We know we can put Ronny at second base in a major league game, too. We want to see how that athleticism plays in the outfield. All the measurables say he’ll be able to acclimate out there as well.”
The 22-year-old has raked in the minors this season. He’s slashing .336/.377/.927 with seven home runs and 33 RBI. On the defensive end, Mauricio has played 28 games at second and 21 at shortstop. He’s made six errors at both positions this year but outfield is a different animal.
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Teams around the league have begun converting infielders like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jazz Chisholm to outfielders so this move isn’t out of the ordinary. Although the Mets are selecting left field as they feel the trajectory balls coming off of opposing batters will be familiar to Mauricio, they aren’t going to rush him to play that position in an actual game.
Eppler will leave it to the staff at Syracuse to make that determination and Mauricio will be off and running from there.
“The more versatility, the more tools in his tool belt the better for [Mauricio’s] career, the better for the Mets,” Eppler said. “He’s excited about it.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
