Before we begin the prospect spotlight, I have to inform you, that in order to undo all of the bad mojo, unquestionable bad luck, and to provide future protection, I brought in one of the highest Voodoo priestesses to perform some of her rituals. I might even have to double down and find a Nepalese shaman to work their magic as well. You might be wondering, why all of the theatrics and precautions to write an article? The answer is revealed with the subject of spotlight, Ronny Mauricio.

In 2017, the New York Mets signed Mauricio for $2.1 million out of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. The following year, he would make his debut in pro ball at the rookie level. He played in 57 games and didn’t really impress anyone with his production. He slashed .270/.304/.410, while adding three home runs and two stolen bases. It was nothing to write home about, but it was the beginning of a crazy few years for him.

In his first taste of full season baseball at Low-A, Mauricio played in a ton of games (something that has become a calling card of his). In 116 games, he produced similar results as he did the prior year. He had a slash line of .268/.307/.357, hit four home runs, and only stole six bases. Across those first two seasons, he did remain consistent with his plate discipline, walking less than 5% of the time and keeping his strikeout rate under 20%. The stats were again nothing special, but as with prospects, you never know when things start to click for them.

After the 2019 season and just when Mauricio was in his prime developmental years, the world experienced a massive shutdown across all industries due to COVID. This included no minor league baseball in 2020. It was anyone’s guess as to what Mauricio and the rest of the prospects in the minor leagues would look like after so much time off.

Shockingly and to most everyone’s surprise, Mauricio ended the 2021 season displaying great growth and vast improvements in his overall profile. Playing mostly at High-A, his slash line didn’t improve much, .248/.296/.449, but he did manage to display a ton of power and hit 20 home runs. He even added some more speed and stole 11 bases, getting caught seven times. The power came at a cost of increased strikeouts, as that rate went up to 24.7%. His walk rate also saw a slight increase, going up to 5.7%.

2022 was an entirely new, yet crucial challenge for Mauricio. He was finally in the upper minor leagues, a place where prospect status and player values are cemented. He rose to the challenge and then some. His slash line remained consistent, .259/.296/.472 and the power numbers rose even more. In 123 games, he hit 26 home runs and a blistering 26 doubles. His speed on the basepaths also improved with 20 stolen bases. All of this, while staying consistent at the plate, with a walk rate of 4.4% and a strikeout rate of 23.1%.

The penultimate test for Mauricio as a prospect came the following year, in 2023. He would start the season at Triple-A with the hopes of making the major leagues. Up until this time, he had secured himself a hitters profile that showed good power and speed, but was marred by lackluster slash lines throughout his career. However, everything clicked for him as he knocked on the door of New York City. He hit .292/.346/.506, on his way to smashing 23 home runs, 30 doubles, and stealing 24 bases in 116 games. His strikeout rate even dropped considerably down to 18.2% and his walk rate increased to 6.6%. Looking at the underlying statcast data, he was in the 99th percentile of 90th percentile exit velocity (EV), 99th percentile of max EV, and the 68th percentile for in-zone contact rate. His average launch angle was a little low at 6.4 degrees, but his ability to hit the ball hard more than made up for it. His performance during the season was rewarded when the Mets called him up and he played 26 games in the majors. He didn’t do anything special, except have the hardest hit ball for a Met in the statcast era! A whooping 117.3 mph double during his major league debut. The star forming before fans’ very eyes was on a trajectory towards not only an all-star level, but maybe even a superstar one.

During the offseason, in the blink of an eye, his entire larger-than-life prospect status came crashing down with a gut punch not only to Mauricio but to baseball fans everywhere. While playing in the Dominican Winter League, something he had done every year since 2021, he tore his ACL on a steal attempt. The bubble burst, and stunned silence could be heard from everyone. He ultimately had surgery to repair the ligament and then another surgery near the end of 2024 to fix some scar tissue. Now the Mets are saying they will take it slow with him, because he still might not be ready for the start of Spring Training. For someone who had never played less than 100 games in any full season in the minor leagues, the recovery process has to have been demoralizing. There is light at the end of the tunnel though, as he has resumed baseball activities and should be competing for the starting third base job at some point this upcoming season.

Looking forward to what we can expect to see from Mauricio, I think you have to block out a ton of the criticism and critics of his. They are constantly bringing up a narrative that he has swing and miss issues. However, in the minors his contact rates were never below 72% for a season and his in-zone contact rate at Triple-A was at 86.9%. He also never had a strikeout rate above 25%, until he was at Triple-A, where it was 28.7%. Some will argue he chases pitches out of the zone and he does, but that is part of his aggressiveness. It is also important to note, while at Triple-A, he was in the 67th percentile in whiff rate vs secondary pitches.

I see a big-time power/speed profile, one that could even reach 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases at some point in his career. He has been super reliable and healthy enough to play most every game of every season (outside of his ACL injury). Now you see why there was a need to purge all of the bad juju around him. If he is on the field, you can count on some very good stats and even some solid OPS numbers. He is a rarity in the prospect world today and needs to be cherished when he does finally return to the baseball field.

(Brian Labude)