Prospect Deep Dive: Ronny Mauricio
Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50
There are only two Mets prospects who currently have big league experience — Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio.
New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported today that the Mets told Mark Vientos and Brett Baty to begin working out at first base early in the new year. This all hedges against the idea of Pete Alonso returning to Queens, if he hasn’t already. While Mark Vientos is still the likeliest at third for now, it does raise the question:
Who’s actually going to play third base for the Mets long-term?
Once fully healthy, here’s my choice: Ronny Mauricio.
Ronny Mauricio, 22, is a Dominican born, switch-hitting shortstop by trade. Listed at 6’3, 220 pounds, Mauricio’s someone who can naturally go 30-30 at his peak. He’s extremely versatile, played second and third for the Mets, and left field in the minors.
Ranked as the Mets’ No. 6 overall prospect, Mauricio’s strong frame and fast bat profile very well — while his on base percentages and plate discipline do not. Mauricio’s major league sample size is small; but the eye test does make your pupils pop.
Last week’s Prospect Deep Dive was all about Elian Pena — the Mets’ showcase signing of a prospect, but on the international front. They spent the most international money ($5,000,000) in their franchises history to acquire the 17-year-old shortstop from the Dominican.
Sounds familiar, right?
Not to the same extent, but the Mets signed a 16-year-old Ronny Mauricio in 2017 as an international free agent. The highly touted international prospect received a signing bonus of $2.1 million, equivalent to $2.6 million when Mauricio made his debut six years later. It’s unfortunate that Mauricio never saw much, if any, of that money due to “an agent and unscrupulous family member to whom the player gave control of his finances.”
At the time, Mauricio’s signing bonus was a Mets record, beating Amed Rosario’s $1.75M signing bonus in July of 2012.
Mauricio began his time professionally within the Mets’ system in 2018, playing 57 games between the Gulf Coast and Kingsport Mets. He compiled a slash line of .273/.304/.410, with three home runs and 35 RBI. After being promoted to Kingsport, over a final eight game stretch of the season, Mauricio slashed .233/.286/.333.
In 2019, Mauricio quickly saw ascension after his promotion to the Columbia Fireflies of the South Atlantic League. The move showed the Mets’ belief — as Mauricio was the youngest player in the whole league. For the 2019 season, Mauricio slashed .268/.307/.357 over 116 games, hitting 4 home runs with 37 RBI. While it wasn’t his best, Mauricio held his own at every level — a common theme of his.
Of course, the 2020 season was an aberration for everyone, and was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mauricio did impress that fall, whether at Coney Island via invite, or the fall instructional league itself — reinforcing what the Mets already knew.
A year later in 2021, Mauricio finally found himself working vertically up the Mets’ system, getting time early on with Single-A Brooklyn, and quickly to Double-A Binghamton in early April. Over the time between the two levels, Mauricio slashed .248/.296/.449 with 20 home runs, 64 RBI, and 11 stolen bases over 108 games. Following the 2021 season, Mauricio was selected to the Mets’ 40-man roster in November, which allowed him to be officially called up at any time.
Mauricio spent all of the 2022 season with Binghamton and set career highs in home runs (26), extra base hits (54), and stolen bases (20). In totality, Mauricio finished his 2022 with a slash line of .259/.296/.472 and a .767 OPS. In addition, Mauricio smacked a go-ahead home run for Binghamton on August 3rd.
Mauricio was the 2022-2023 Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) Most Valuable Player with Tigres del Licey. His .468 slugging percentage led the league, while his .803 OPS and .287 batting average were second and third in the league, respectfully.
To begin 2023, Mauricio was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. In 116 games, he slashed .292/.346/.506, with 23 home runs, 71 RBI, and swiped 24 bags. Given his trigger-happy inclinations, strikeouts and walks have been more of a problem than a strength for Mauricio in his career.
Pertaining specifically to his 2023 season, Mauricio’s 35 walks and 97 strikeouts were more encouraging than his 24 walks and 125 strikeouts in Double-A the year prior. Even with multiple 20+ home run seasons in the minors, Mauricio’s 108 wRC+ at the end of 2023 was only 8% better than league average — and while Mauricio was trending upwards, the Mets were trending down.
Before his first MLB debut, Mauricio was asked about how it felt to be called up:
“Honestly, what can I say. It’s really exciting for me. This is where I’ve wanted to be since I first started playing baseball.”
Mauricio got his call up to the majors in 2023 at the end of a meaningless season. On the first of September, it didn’t take long for his first Major League hit — smoking a 117.3 mph double into the right field corner off Seattle’s Logan Gilbert.
Mauricio’s bright spot may’ve been overhyped solely off how disappointing the whole 2023 season was. For context, 101 at-bats with a .248/.296/.347 slash line and a .643 OPS (78 OPS+) over 26 MLB games may not yet scream that you’re completely sold.
Then again, baseball isn’t always just about the stats.
As tough as the eye test can be, Mauricio sure does seem to ace it.
On December 12, 2023, while playing in the Dominican League during another offseason, Mauricio tore his ACL. Consequently, he had to miss the entirety of the 2024 season. While the small sample size hits a roadblock in justifying his long-term prospectus, Mauricio’s a player who you should be very excited to watch healthy in 2025.
As of now, New York Post’s Mike Puma reported that Ronny Mauricio’s continuing his knee rehab, and might not be ready for the start of spring training. This should not come as a major surprise — it took until December for Mauricio to even resume baseball activities.
A typical timetable for an ACL recovery is 9-12 months, so a June return can be a realistic expectation for Mauricio. And no, you’re not trading him before then.
Realistically, Mauricio’s value is not entirely known. It’s better for the Mets to wait-and-see, with the upside of banking on a potential superstar. When Mauricio is 100% healthy, the common question is where he will see the most playing time. While he does have experience in the left field as well as second base, depending on what happens with Pete Alonso, Mauricio should be one of the top candidates for third.
It’s always possible that Brett Baty somehow wins the position himself, or the Mets just keep Vientos at 3rd all together. Unless Brett Baty wins the position, you could always keep Vientos at the hot corner and give Mauricio or Baty a first baseman’s mitt this spring, as well.
A lot of options for the Mets moving forward — it’s a great problem that the Mets have rarely had.
Ronny Mauricio, Scouting Report:
“Standing out for his size at 6-foot-3, Mauricio flashed great power potential, especially from the left side, where he hit 21 of his 25 total homers in 2023. His strength enabled him to post a 117.3 mph exit velocity for a double in his first Major League at-bat, marking the highest EV by any Met in 2023, and there’s enough power there for 30+ homers in time. But Mauricio’s approach seems likely to keep him from meeting that ceiling. He can expand the zone and chase pitches of all types. Sometimes that leads to loud contact from his A swing. Oftentimes, it keeps his walk rate and OBP (career .311 in the Minors) low, dulling his overall offensive impact.”
“Before the injury, Mauricio showed solid speed in his first taste of the Majors, but the presence of Francisco Lindor always meant he was going to move around. He got the majority of his looks at second base but also tried third and left. The injury will delay Mauricio from finding a full-time spot in 2024 and will keep him from much-needed at-bats that could otherwise improve his approach issues.”
Potential 2025 Post-Pete Alonso Lineup:
Francisco Lindor (SS)
Juan Soto (RF)
Mark Vientos (1B)
Brandon Nimmo (LF)
Starling Marte/Jesse Winker (DH)
Brett Baty/Ronny Mauricio* (3B)
Francisco Alvarez (C)
Jose Siri (CF)
Jeff McNeil (2B)
*When fully healthy