Deep dive on Mets prospect Ronny Mauricio: What to know ahead of MLB debut
Background
Ronny Mauricio was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Entering the 2017 international free agency period, he ranked as the No. 11 international prospect by MLB Pipeline.
While being trained by Carlos Guzman in the Dominican Republic, Mauricio drew interest from a lot of teams with his at the time very projectable frame at 6-foot, 160 pounds with a high waist and long arms. The Mets were able to sign Mauricio on July 2, 2017, for a $2.1 million signing bonus -- which was, at the time, the Mets' record for signing bonus on an international free agent.
After his first pro season, Mauricio started making top-100 prospect lists. He debuted prior to the 2019 season as the No. 98 prospect in the sport by Baseball America. After posting a .665 OPS in 2019 for Low-A Columbia and the COVID-canceled 2020 season, Mauricio showed up in 2021 physically matured.
In 108 games between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, Mauricio posted a .745 OPS and finally began to show his raw power with 20 home runs. However, this is when the conversation really started about concerns about his plate discipline as he posted a .296 on-base percentage with only 26 walks in 2021.
In 2022, he posted the same exact .296 on-base percentage in 123 games for Double-A Binghamton but increased his extra base hit number to 44 including 26 home runs. Unfortunately for him, with a two-year sample of poor plate discipline, he had fallen off prospect lists as scouts believed it was simply not sustainable to become a big-league regular.
The roller coaster of Mauricio was going down the hill, but then it started its slow trek back up when he won MVP of the Dominican Winter League with an .803 OPS in 46 games for Tigres del Licey.
He continued on this track with Triple-A Syracuse where he posted OPS’s of .947 and .948 in the first two months of the season before falling into a lull in June and July despite some signs of growth in his plate discipline, where he was willing to take some pitches he used to chase. In August, he posted a .289/.357/.558 slash line with seven home runs and, importantly, 11 walks, which is a career high for a single month. This led to the Mets giving Mauricio a September call up as part of 2024 evaluation.
Scouting Report
As a young prospect, Mauricio was lauded for his raw power that was expected to come when he grew into his body. He is listed now 6-foot-3 and 222 pounds, and he shows an ability to barrel up the ball and hit with authority, at times exit velocities exceeding 110 mph. He has strong wrists that produce plus bat speed.
Walks will never be a big part of his game, but he has shown growth this year in laying off pitches he needs to and he does have a career-best 6.6% walk rate. That’s still not a great number, but he accompanies it with a much-improved contact rate as his strikeout rate this year is at a reasonable 18.2% which is down 5% from 2022.
The biggest question on Mauricio, and has been for over a calendar year, is where does he best translate defensively? The Mets gave him looks at second base and left field in Triple-A. I have long thought outfield was the best fit for his above average athleticism, but maybe less lateral quickness.
However, in reps in leftfield he never looked all that comfortable so the Mets shifted him back to the infield and I’d expect to see him play a good amount of second base in the big leagues. The Mets have spoken behind the scenes that perhaps they may not settle on one defensive position for him, rather let him be a super utility player a la Jeff McNeil, where if the bat plays, you find a place for him to play on any given day. Whether that is second base, third base, left field or giving Francisco Lindor a breather at shortstop.
Future
Mauricio is back on the prospect radar after falling off top-100 lists; he is now on all the major publications top 100, ranked highest by Keith Law of The Athletic at No. 29 with comparisons to former Yankee Alfonso Soriano.
If he is able to continue on the trajectory he is on pitch selection-wise, he has the power that can be a 25 home run type of bat with the ability to turn on inside velocity as well as take the ball the other way with authority. I don’t expect Mauricio to be a high on-base percentage player, but if he can hit for enough average, he absolutely profiles as an everyday player.
I will be very interested to see how he performs defensively at the big-league level because as much as you’d like to have a versatile player, most players prefer to have more of a regular position. I am also sure the organization would like to have a primary spot for him.
It has been a rollercoaster ride for Mauricio’s prospect status over the last few years, but now prospect rankings can be put in the rear-view mirror and it’s about time to see what he’s got at the big-league level.
