‘It’s just an incredible day’ – Twin Cities

Ronny Mauricio, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez all feel as though they grew up together having played in the Mets farm system together. Now, all four of the Mets’ highly-touted prospects are in the big leagues for the first time, as the club called up Mauricio, their fourth-ranked prospect, to make his Major League debut Friday.

Rosters expanded to 28, clearing the way for Mauricio to reach the big leagues. Baty was also recalled after a brief stint with Triple-A Syracuse and the Mets brought up right-hander Jose Butto as well.

“It’s so awesome,” Baty said before the Mets opened a series against the Seattle Mariners at Citi Field “We’ve all played together for about four years now, so we understand each other’s games and we get a lot of confidence with each other.”

Mauricio was the missing piece of the puzzle. The second-youngest of the group at 22, Mauricio spent the entire season in Triple-A trying to find a position. Blocked by Francisco Lindor at shortstop, the Mets moved him to second base early in the season. He also played left field and third base, but the emphasis has primarily been on second base.

“I would like a position where I can kind of get comfortable,” Mauricio said through translator Alan Suriel. “But as of right now, I’m just going to continue to work hard and play wherever they need it.”

The Mets have not yet decided where he will play in the future. The decision may not even be in their hands. Baty and Vientos haven’t exactly run away with third base, so this next month will be key in figuring out where those three fit the best.

“Ronny is going to play second base and we’ll see what tomorrow brings,” said manager Buck Showalter. “That’s in the best interest of the club, the organization and Ronny. We’ll take it kind of day-to-day. He’s had experience at four [positions] this year, so all four of those are on the table. We’ll see what best fits.”

Baty had some unfortunate gaffes at third before the Mets sent him back to Syracuse for a reset of sorts last month. His -7 outs above average showed that he struggled with the position. The coaches were always impressed by his aptitude both at the plate and in the field, and they were impressed with how he understood the adjustments he had to make.

But they aren’t easy to make at the big-league level, especially at a time when every game still mattered for the Mets.

“I was trying to make every single play over there and trying to be perfect,” Baty said. “But the reality is that no one is perfect in this game.”

The ability to defend will be key for all four of these prospects moving forward, but for Baty and Mauricio, this month represents a chance to show that they can field their positions at a high level.

“The biggest thing I’m looking for is their ability to defend,” Showalter said. “Whether it’s Mark or it’s Brett, Alvarez — that is what’s going to keep them up here. They’re all going to have their ups and downs offensively because the pitching is too good. Can you defend while we’re waiting for you to figure out the offensive side of it?”

The Mariners come in with the best ERA in the league (3.64). If Mauricio is going to show that he can make that jump, then this is a good place to start. Fans were begging the Mets to bring up the big infielder known for his power and speed earlier in the season. If he does light up Major League pitchers this month, the Mets will certainly take some heat for not calling him up earlier. This organization has long been known for its inability to evaluate its own system and they’ve done little to dispel that notion this season.

“You can’t think about the past or the future. You kind of just have to think about the present,” Mauricio said through Suriel. “And right now that I’m here. I’m here to help the team win. I’m here to try to do whatever I can to support the team.”

Graduating four prospects is a proud moment for the Mets and their player development department, though the timing is a little bittersweet since the head of that department, Kevin Howard, was fired Thursday. Still, graduating top prospects to the big leagues means the department is doing something right.

“This is this is where I wanted to be ever since I started playing baseball,” Mauricio said. “Honestly, it’s just an incredible day.”

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