Ronny Mauricio. Photo via Ed Delany, MMO

A spring for the youth, many of the Mets young stars are attempting to make their names known in hopes of cracking the major league roster or making a strong enough impression that they’ll be considered the next man up when the time comes calling. Brett Baty, one of the young stars the team boasts, started off strong by powering a home run to dead center field in his first spring game.

This time, the young buck that made his mark known is Ronny Mauricio. Facing Nationals pitcher Anthony Castro in the bottom of the 8th inning, Mauricio mashed a 1-1 pitch going 94mph out of sight to deep right field at Clover Park. The distance of his mammoth home run is measured at 450 feet with an exit velocity of 110 mph off the bat. The Mets would defeat the Nationals 6-3 and legend has it Mauricio’s ball is still in orbit.

After the game, Mauricio, through translator Alan Suriel, expressed interest in playing other positions for the Mets in order to give him an opportunity to play, and prefers to play third base if given the chance to do so. Luckily for the Mets, he’s no stranger to playing other positions, as he played second and third base during the winter ball season. Along with playing different positions, he showed off the power he’s most known for by slashing .285/.335/.468 with five home runs and 31 RBI in 46 games, winning the LIDOM MVP in the process. He’s even expressed interest in playing the outfield if needed. “I can play any position,” Mauricio said to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “That’s not hard to play outfield, I think. It’s harder to play shortstop.”

Having Baty and fellow infield prospect Mark Vientos in the fold, as well as Francisco Lindor manning the helm for the Mets at short, Mauricio will need to find another spot on the diamond to make his mark. Through all the uncertainty of his position and his trade value, his power is what is setting him apart from the rest. He hit 26 home runs for Double-A Binghamton last season along with 26 doubles.

In our prospect profile highlighting Mauricio, he has quick wrists and tremendous power, while throwing in 20 stolen bases, Mauricio has the potential to be a 20 home run-20 stolen base player in the majors one day. Possessing solid contact skill on both sides of the plate, he has a tendency to strike out but can surprise you with the bat by hitting moonshots, which was evident and on display Sunday afternoon.

Mauricio will more than likely start the season in Triple-A Syracuse and the Mets hope that he can continue to develop his bat and increase his plate discipline but one thing is for sure, is that Mauricio has found his identity at the plate. Whether it’s in the infield or outfield, his recent display in power, from winter ball to spring training, has caught the attention of the Mets and has put him back into the fold for potentially being a contributor to the big club sooner rather than later.