RONNY MAURICIO, IF
Player Data: Age: 22 (04/04/2001), B/T: S/R
Primary Stats: 26 G, 108 PA, 101 AB, .248/.296/.347/.643, 25 H, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4 2B, 7 SB
Advanced Stats: 80 wRC+, 28.7% K%, 6.5% BB%, .338 BABIP, .287 xwOBA, 0.3 fWAR, 0.2 bWAR
2023 Salary: $720,000 (prorated for September)
Grade: C
2023 Review
Ronny Mauricio’s long-awaited debut in the big leagues came to fruition when the rosters expanded at the beginning of September. He wasted no time, going 2-for-3 with a 117-mph double to right center field in his debut against the Seattle Mariners. Mauricio could not have asked for a better start, as he recorded at least one hit in each of his first five games. But as the month went on and teams began to make adjustments against him, his individual numbers at the plate began to take a bit of a dip.
On September 12 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Mauricio hit his first major league home run into the Coca-Cola Corner in right field. The youngster got all of it, driving that ball 440 feet with an exit velocity of 112.4 mph. Within in a couple of days of his debut, it had become abundantly clear that Mauricio had quite a bit of power anytime he put a good swing on the ball. The question was, would he be able to showcase the right amount of plate discipline while looking for a successful hard-hit rate?
There are very few cases where a rookie comes to the big leagues and does not go through a period of time where they are striking out at a high clip. Mauricio was not one of them, as in the final 14 games of the regular season, he struck out at least two times on eight different occasions. That stretch played a critical role in his 28.7% K%—a well above-average rate for major leaguers.
Mauricio has a total of 108 plate appearances at the big league level in his young career, which is not a large enough sample size to fully judge him. Evaluators will hope to get a better idea of the kind of player he will as the 2024 season progresses. Mauricio is unique because despite standing at 6’3″, he has a surprising amount of speed on the base paths.
He was 7-for-7 in his stolen base attempts last season, which is an asset he should keep in his repertoire moving forward. He was also solid on defense, playing a couple dozen innings at third and the rest at second. He seemed to handle both well.
2024 Overview
The New York Mets’ starting nine could look different to begin the 2024 season, meaning that Mauricio could find himself on the big league roster in late March. David Stearns has a lot of important decisions to make, one of which surrounds the young talent. What kind of role will Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Mauricio have next season? All three of them could be in contention to start, although free agency could change that view as the off-season continues.
Mauricio became a fan favorite with his power and speed, but other areas of his game need to evolve over the next year. If he can show progression with his patience at the plate, the Mets could have a guy that can hit above. 270 or .280 with 30+ stolen bases. Given his age, Mauricio could be an important piece in the short-term and the long-term. He has plenty of potential, but can he turn that potential into something significant in 2024?
