Mauricio makes 3B debut as Mets test rookie talent

NEW YORK -- Late last month, shortly before his Major League debut, Ronny Mauricio was asked which defensive position he would most like to play in the Majors.

“Shortstop,” came his answer.

Mauricio -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Mets' No. 4 prospect -- knows as well as anyone that Francisco Lindor is entrenched at short for the rest of this decade, but he answered the question honestly. Asked for his second choice, Mauricio again did not hesitate.

“Third base,” he said.

Third base -- a position no less foreign to Mauricio than second, the only spot at which he had played in the Majors until Friday night. It is a position, however, that he considers more natural. The angles of batted balls there are similar to his familiar spot at shortstop. Complicated double-play turns aren’t an issue. And it’s clear that Mauricio possesses both the arm and power bat necessary for the job.

For all those reasons and others, the Mets on Friday began the experiment of trying Mauricio at third. Early results were mixed in a 5-3 loss to the Reds at Citi Field, which included a key Mauricio error. But even before the game, manager Buck Showalter cautioned not to draw firm conclusions until the sample size grows.

“These people that come in here and blurt something out after watching them take infield or play in one game? Please. Nobody’s that smart,” Showalter said. “I look at their ability to concentrate.”

Concentration was not what necessarily affected Mauricio in the fifth inning, when Harrison Bader hit a 100-mph two-hopper that ricocheted above his glove, off his chest and into left field. Regardless, the official ruling was an error on Mauricio’s inaugural chance at third.

An inning later, Mauricio ranged to his left but couldn’t quite track down a ball that snuck under his glove. In the process, Mauricio shielded Lindor, who also failed to come up with it. The next batter, Spencer Steer, hit a two-run homer.

Finally, in the eighth, Mauricio enjoyed his first clean play, grabbing a Tyler Stephenson grounder behind the third-base bag, planting his feet and throwing an 83-mph strike across the diamond.

The mixed debut was not particularly surprising, considering Mauricio had previously played just two affiliated games at the position, both of them earlier this year at Triple-A Syracuse. His only other exposure was nine games in the Dominican Winter League -- an experience that, while brief, Mauricio said “helped me tremendously.”

“It helped me evolve as a player to be able to go out there and play a different position,” he added through an interpreter.

Right now, Mauricio feels more comfortable at third base than at shortstop, and he may ultimately fit more snugly there, anyway. Luisangel Acuña, the Mets' top prospect per MLB Pipeline, plays second fairly often in the Minors, and he could be a long-term solution at that position. Neither Brett Baty nor Mark Vientos, meanwhile, has distinguished himself at third.

Baty’s recent groin injury, which shouldn’t keep him out much longer, created an opening for Mauricio to start there on Friday, though Showalter was going to find a way to try him at third base regardless. It’s a delicate balance. The Mets would still like to develop both Baty and Vientos at the position, fully knowing that with only 15 games remaining, there won’t be enough time to give everyone significant exposure.

“These looks are fleeting,” Showalter said. “We want to take looks at it. But also, you’re trying to solve the needs of everybody. It’s not just him.”

Whatever the Mets can deduce over the second half of September could prove important as they decide how to handle third base in the future. The easiest play would be to commit to one of the three rookies as an everyday option at the position. The Mets could also choose to invest in a free agent, though that seems at least somewhat imprudent given how deep their needs are on the pitching side of things; why waste resources on a position player with multiple young, high-ceilinged options already in-house?

So don’t expect an answer next week, next month or even in the early portion of next year. Evaluation, after all, takes time.

“I don’t think much about that,” Mauricio said. “I just continue to go out there, try to work hard, and continue to try to help the team win games as much as possible. As long as I’m able to do that, whatever opportunity and whatever the team decides, I’ll be happy to do.”