Mar 15, 2023; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Ronny Mauricio (60) prior to a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Spring Training-St. Louis Cardinals at New York Mets
(Queens, NY) – As the New York Mets look to remake their roster following a highly-disappointing 2023 campaign, the third base position is one that could arguably stand to upgrade.
But the buzz from the team and president of baseball operations David Stearns is that the Mets may prefer their younger, internal options at the hot corner: Brett Baty is one option, as is rookie Ronny Mauricio – who got a cup of coffee with New York as a September call up.
Mauricio is back in the Dominican Winter League this year – where he raised his prospect profile in 2022 by winning league MVP. Playing with the Tigres del Licey, Mauricio will be largely playing third base as he eyes the job for the Mets.
So far, with the Dominican league just getting underway, Mauricio has been hitting well but struggling defensively. And Mauricio’s offensive profile is definitely his calling card, even if he’s able to slot in at third base. During his time in the minors, Mauricio has played shortstop, second base, third, and some outfield. Through his first three games, Mauricio had posted an even .500 batting average. But, he’d also committed a combined four errors while playing the field twice.
Last Friday, Mauricio was more-or-less a butcher defensively, committing three errors inside of the one game. He’ll need to improve significantly from that level to become the Mets’ starting third baseman.
