They say lightning never strikes twice, but that hasn’t been Ronny Mauricio’s experience at spring training, beginning the exhibition slate with three homers in his first seven at-bats. Ranked as the Mets’ sixth-best prospect according to MLB.com, the 21-year-old appeared as a pinch-hitter in Wednesday’s Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, making the most of his ninth-inning cameo by launching this 2-1 fastball, courtesy of right-hander Sean Reynolds, into orbit.
That was actually one of the shorter home runs Mauricio has hit this spring, paling in comparison to the 450-foot rocket he drilled against the Nationals days earlier.
With a dozen players headed to the World Baseball Classic later this month including infielders Francisco Lindor (Puerto Rico) and Jeff McNeil (USA), Mauricio should see plenty of game reps this spring. And while the Dominican Republic native faces long odds to crack the Opening Day roster, he’s already caught the eye of manager Buck Showalter, who’s been impressed by what he’s seen of Mauricio in the early going.
“You can tell he hasn’t had much down time,” said Showalter of Mauricio, who led Tigres de Licey to a Dominican League title this winter, earning MVP honors on the strength of five homers, 31 RBI and 10 steals. “He’s got a chance to be a good one.”
Signed as an international free agent in 2017, the 6’3” shortstop spent his 2022 at Double-A Binghamton, leading the Rumble Ponies in virtually every offensive category including hits (132), doubles (26), home runs (26), RBI (89) and steals (20).
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