A new era is upon the New York Mets as they fully embrace the youth movement, calling up Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty to join Francisco Álvarez and Mark Vientos as rosters expand on Friday. As disappointing as the 2023 season has been for the organization and fans alike, seeing four of the team’s promising young talents all up simultaneously provides some optimism for the future. The offense should look drastically different down the stretch as the Mets evaluate what they hope to be their future core, so let’s project what the lineup could look like moving forward.
- CF Brandon Nimmo
- SS Francisco Lindor
- LF Jeff McNeil
- 1B Pete Alonso
- RF DJ Stewart
- C Francisco Álvarez
- DH Mark Vientos/Daniel Vogelbach
- 3B Brett Baty
- 2B Ronny Mauricio
The top four in this order remain largely unchanged, and for good reason. Nimmo, who is slashing .260/.356/.435 with a 122 wRC+, has yet to start a game this season outside of the leadoff spot this season and there’s no reason to buck that trend considering just how productive he has been there. It’s a similar story for Lindor, who has started 17 of his last 18 games in the two-spot and has slashed .251/.333/.461 this season while being a mainstay at the top of the order all year. McNeil, despite his struggles as a whole this season, slashed .308/.344/.427 with a 115 wRC+ in August and has found a home at the third spot in the order recently. Alonso, on the other hand, is your prototypical cleanup hitter and has spent the majority of the time in that role this season while slashing .220/.326/.514 with 39 home runs.
Ronny Mauricio, Photo by Herm Card
After that, though, is where it starts to get interesting. Stewart has hit all over the order for the Mets, but fifth feels like the right spot for him. He’s coming off of an otherworldly August that could put even Barry Bonds to shame, slashing .303/.378/.727 with eight home runs in 76 plate appearances during that stretch. He’s likely playing his way into a role on next year’s roster, and it’s hard not to justify him hitting that high up in the lineup.
Álvarez has had a tough go of it since the All-Star break and has seen his wRC+ dip below 100, but that shouldn’t set off any alarms. It isn’t often you see a 21-year-old catcher at the major league level, let alone one who has 21 home runs and accumulated 356 plate appearances. He’s the future at the position for the Mets and should be a stalwart in the lineup for years to come.
A platoon at designated hitter with Vientos and Vogelbach feels like the most likely course of action as of now. Giving Vientos more of an opportunity against right-handed pitching would be logical and could be in the cards, but it’s hard to see New York completely steering clear of Vogelbach, given his .784 OPS and 120 wRC+ against righties.
Baty will get another crack at cementing his role moving forward after a poor showing in his first stint in the majors this season. He is hitting just .216/.289/.331 in the majors on the year, but he was a consensus top prospect for a reason. He has a good hit tool and a ton of raw power, and it’s just a matter of putting all the pieces together, which should start with improved plate discipline and lifting the ball more. He has a slash line of .298/.388/.625 with a .427 wOBA and 144 wRC+ in Triple-A this season, so perhaps he could translate that production into results in September.
Mauricio is probably the most polarizing name in this lineup. The Mets’ No. 4 prospect and the No. 90 prospect in the league, according to MLB Pipeline, Mauricio appears primed to make his MLB debut this weekend against the Seattle Mariners. He’s had an up-and-down season with Triple-A Syracuse, opening the year on fire in April and May before struggling in June and July. He bounced back in August, though, slashing .289/.357/.558 with seven homers while hitting .292/.346/.506 on the year as a whole.
Mauricio’s raw power is undoubtedly his defining trait, and is among the best in the organization as a whole. There are questions, though, surrounding just about everything else. He has cut down on his strikeout rate this year, but he still possesses poor plate discipline, and his hit tool doesn’t grade out overly positive due to his aggressive approach and high volume of ground balls. He doesn’t have a defensive home either, but he’ll likely land at second with McNeil moving to left field after shifting around in the minors this season.
Mauricio’s potential is exciting, but it will be a wait-and-see approach with him as he transitions to the majors. That’s why giving him as many looks as possible in a lost season should be a top priority for the Mets, as there’s a world where Mauricio is a starter and impact player next season.
