Ronny Mauricio. Photo by Serena Spencer
Ronny Mauricio has been tearing it up at Triple-A Syracuse, slashing .350/.395/.688/1.083 at just 22 years old–nearly five years younger than the league average. It’s amazing Mauricio has already amassed over 2,100 plate appearances across the minors. However, basically all of them were played at shortstop (or designated hitter). This weekend, the Mets changed that.
Mauricio, who stands over 6’3″, made his first career starts at second base this weekend. It began the migration for the prospect to someone who has multi-positional flexibility. It’s no longer “could he end up off shortstop?” The Mets are making it a reality. He played a little third base in the Domincan Winter League, and there’s always been rumors of trying Mauricio in center field.
This makes sense for multiple reasons: 1) The Mets obviously have Francisco Lindor, one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, signed to nine more years. He’s not moving off the position for a prospect. 2) His trade value. Mauricio has a little more value on the market if his positional flexibility is reality rather than theory.
He still swings a ton and doesn’t walk as much as you’d like, but if he can sustain the power he’s shown in the minors, Mauricio can be a valuable MLB bat—whether to the Mets or another team.
That being said, the scenario of him becoming a double-play duo with Lindor is intriguing. Jeff McNeil‘s versatility allows you to push McNeil to a corner outfield spot, where he’s shown complete competency. So what could a lineup look like with Mauricio in it playing second base? We’ll plausibly look at what a 2024 lineup could look like. (Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar with both be free agents.)
Potential Mets Lineup with Mauricio at 2B
- Brandon Nimmo – CF
- Starling Marte – RF
- Francisco Lindor – SS
- Pete Alonso – 1B
- Jeff McNeil – LF
- Francisco Álvarez – C
- Brett Baty – 3B
- Ronny Mauricio – 2B
- Mark Vientos (or someone else) – DH
This lineup has far more power potential than the 2023 iteration of the team. You can move any of the four young bucks around in the bottom four of the lineup or mix and match them amidst the vets. The 2024 free agent class is weak on skill position players, so the Mets could rely on their young core to set next year’s lineup up for success next year—especially as the team needs to spend big money on their rotation given the lack of young prospects that are MLB ready.
How does that look? If the Mets keep all of their prospects heading into next season, is that how the lineup could look next year?
