Brett Baty (Left) and Ronny Mauricio (right), Photo by Joseph Langan of MMO

The anticipation for the Minor League Baseball season had many Mets fans excited to see their organization’s new High-A affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones. To start 2021, Brooklyn features the number three and five prospects in the organization, Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty. High expectations are placed on the two infielders, but their play goes above and beyond what anyone imagined. 

The already star-studded infield in Brooklyn has been boosted by the stellar play of Joe Genord, who is tearing the cover off the ball. The first baseman from the University of South Florida is quietly putting together a fantastic season. He’s accumulated a slash line of .341/.367/.727 with eight extra-base hits after Wednesday’s three-hit performance against Hudson Valley.

Genord’s four homers this year have him tied with teammate Ronny Mauricio and six others for fourth place in the High-A East. Joe’s batting average is good for seventh, while his sky-high OPS of 1.095 currently ranks second in the division, just behind Tyreque Reed of the Greenville Drive. Genord is a powerful first baseman who is slightly on the older side; if his production continues to trend upwards, fans could see a bump to Double-A sooner rather than later. 

Mauricio has all the tools to be an impact player in the majors one day, and he’s certainly showing it in Brooklyn. The switch-hitter from the Dominican Republic had a solid season back in 2019, hitting .268/.307/.357 with an OPS of .665 over 116 games in Columbia. High strikeouts and below-average power made fans skeptical about his future, but Mauricio made it his mission to get stronger over the lull in 2020.

Out of the gate, his hard work is certainly paying off, slashing .320/.358/.660, and he has that OPS at 1.018, good for eighth in the division. After struggling against lefties in 2019, Mauricio seems to be a legitimate threat from both sides of the plate, hitting over .300 as both a lefty and a righty. Matching his total home run numbers (4) from 2019 in the matter of eleven games, Ronny has seen that slugging percentage surge, currently ranking fourth in the division. The 20-year-old added noticeable strength to his frame over the offseason, and it’s been showing up in games. 

While Mauricio and Genord have shined, Brett Baty has been the star of the show in Brooklyn so far. Being the twelfth overall pick back in 2019, Baty was touted as the “best prep school hitter coming out of the draft,” and he’s showing it here in 2021. After Wednesday night’s four-hit performance, Baty has secured the league lead in batting average, hitting .425. Baty doesn’t try to do too much out of the cleanup spot, driving the ball to all fields and bringing in runs. He currently sits in second place in the division with 14 RBIs, just behind Bowling Green’s Grant Witherspoon.

Baty’s advanced knowledge of the strike zone has allowed him to get the pitches he wants to hit and get on base at a higher clip. As a direct result of his patience, Baty’s .520 OBP has him atop the High-A East by a good margin. Brett has not recorded a round-tripper yet this season but certainly has the power.

Baty has looked like a very advanced hitter for High-A, so it will be interesting to see how long the presence of fellow third base prospect Mark Vientos will hold him back from a promotion to the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies. 

This Cyclones infield has been extraordinary so far in 2021, having three of the top eight hitters by OPS in the league. Second baseman Luke Ritter has been no slouch himself, he has three home runs and a .800 OPS in 11 games. 

Fans should catch a game at Brooklyn soon because Genord, Mauricio, and Baty may be promoted more shortly than you think. The Cyclones are back in action Thursday night against the fireballer Luis Medina.