Watching the replay of Mauricio’s homer, I had to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of how effortless his swing was. It is a nice reminder of the embarrassment of riches this team has right now. I hope there’s a way that he and Baty can stick around once Winker and Vientos return from injuries.
Winker losing playing time is easier to accept , since he's a limited player and his best days are behind him. But I'd feel badly for Vientos who I suspect is going to be the odd man out since his fielding is weak and he's got no speed.
Am I nuts, or does Mauricio profile more like a switch-hitting centerfielder than an infielder? Every time I look at him, I envision him on patrol out there.
And think what that would mean with Vientos/Baty at third and McNeil/Acuña at second, with Tyrone Taylor as the backup centerfielder and McNeil as the backup corner outfielder behind Nimmo.
It would likely mean Siri being the odd man out, but he can't hit. And it might mean Winker or Marte being out of a job too, although I highly doubt Mauricio would be asked to make a transition like that now. I'm just thinking ahead a little to next season.
I like the idea. I think Mauricio has always been an infielder but it should be tried. I'd only disagree about Siri...tremendous physical gifts, don't give up on him yet, he's barely played for us. Enjoy this:
Oh, I like Siri's glove a lot, and he most certainly fun on the basepaths. But I watched the entire LIDOM season and saw a lot of his ABs. If he gets a hold of something, he has some pop, and he can pull like a son of a gun. But he made contact so inconsistently, he looked like he was closing his eyes and taking a hack.
We tried to get him in a deeper crouch at the plate to get his bat in the hitting zone longer and level him out, but it didn't work. Just before he got hurt, he was more upright again.
Maybe once he's back, Chavez and Burnes will try to spread him out a little like Soto and pull his hands back and see if that works.
Nice article. A minor point - Gary or Keith said initially that Mauricio’s HR hit the second deck but later corrected themselves and said that it had reached the first row of the third deck. It was a bomb and as Brian F said, his swing was smooth and easy.
If we make a run for the WC, I think we'll need a regular 2B & 3B player come post ASG break (barring another injury). The positions are just too critical defensively.
These try-outs haven't been going so well yet but Mauricio's return could change that.
When Vientos comes back, look for Acuna to end up in Syracuse - at least until either Mauricio, Baty, or Vientos falter.
Curious why they had Baty at 2B and Mauricio at 3B, I would have thought their defense would be better with those guys switched around. Have they given upon Mauricio as a middle IF with Lindor, Acuna, and Baty all blocking him?
I read somewhere that Mendoza asked him where he's most comfortable and he said 3rd. Might only be a temporary move because he just came up and there's a lot to get accustomed to. Other than the bad play at the plate a couple days ago, I agree Baty's been excellent at 3rd.
Watching the replay of Mauricio’s homer, I had to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of how effortless his swing was. It is a nice reminder of the embarrassment of riches this team has right now. I hope there’s a way that he and Baty can stick around once Winker and Vientos return from injuries.
Winker losing playing time is easier to accept , since he's a limited player and his best days are behind him. But I'd feel badly for Vientos who I suspect is going to be the odd man out since his fielding is weak and he's got no speed.
I don’t disagree. I just hate the idea of trading Vientos, and him doing a heel turn and become a Mets-killer. Not likely, but we’ve seen it before.
Yes, Ken Singleton and Jeff Kent come to mind.
The way the Mets are playing right now, as Carl the sign man once held up " THERE ARE NO WORDS"! Keep it rolling!
Am I nuts, or does Mauricio profile more like a switch-hitting centerfielder than an infielder? Every time I look at him, I envision him on patrol out there.
And think what that would mean with Vientos/Baty at third and McNeil/Acuña at second, with Tyrone Taylor as the backup centerfielder and McNeil as the backup corner outfielder behind Nimmo.
It would likely mean Siri being the odd man out, but he can't hit. And it might mean Winker or Marte being out of a job too, although I highly doubt Mauricio would be asked to make a transition like that now. I'm just thinking ahead a little to next season.
But what a tantalizing prospect.
I like the idea. I think Mauricio has always been an infielder but it should be tried. I'd only disagree about Siri...tremendous physical gifts, don't give up on him yet, he's barely played for us. Enjoy this:
https://www.mlb.com/news/jose-siri-steals-home-in-rays-spring-training
Oh, I like Siri's glove a lot, and he most certainly fun on the basepaths. But I watched the entire LIDOM season and saw a lot of his ABs. If he gets a hold of something, he has some pop, and he can pull like a son of a gun. But he made contact so inconsistently, he looked like he was closing his eyes and taking a hack.
We tried to get him in a deeper crouch at the plate to get his bat in the hitting zone longer and level him out, but it didn't work. Just before he got hurt, he was more upright again.
Maybe once he's back, Chavez and Burnes will try to spread him out a little like Soto and pull his hands back and see if that works.
Nice article. A minor point - Gary or Keith said initially that Mauricio’s HR hit the second deck but later corrected themselves and said that it had reached the first row of the third deck. It was a bomb and as Brian F said, his swing was smooth and easy.
Yeah, it was upper tank. Pretty wild: 80+ mph swing and it looked easy. Mauricio is a stud.
If we make a run for the WC, I think we'll need a regular 2B & 3B player come post ASG break (barring another injury). The positions are just too critical defensively.
These try-outs haven't been going so well yet but Mauricio's return could change that.
When Vientos comes back, look for Acuna to end up in Syracuse - at least until either Mauricio, Baty, or Vientos falter.
Curious why they had Baty at 2B and Mauricio at 3B, I would have thought their defense would be better with those guys switched around. Have they given upon Mauricio as a middle IF with Lindor, Acuna, and Baty all blocking him?
I read somewhere that Mendoza asked him where he's most comfortable and he said 3rd. Might only be a temporary move because he just came up and there's a lot to get accustomed to. Other than the bad play at the plate a couple days ago, I agree Baty's been excellent at 3rd.