Mets need to strongly consider major hitting change for Ronny Mauricio

Ronny Mauricio needs to think long and hard about making a change to stick with the Mets.

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Excitement levels were high when the New York Mets signed Ronny Mauricio out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent in July 2017.

He was only 16 years old at the time, but was a highly sought-after prospect, signing for $2.1 million. It wasn’t long before he was considered one of the best young players in the game. By 2019, he was already showing up on top 100 prospect lists, where he would stay until as recently as 2024.

It was easy to see why there was so much optimism and excitement surrounding Mauricio. He was oozing with potential, showcasing a special blend of power and speed at the plate. As he gained more experience, he has also turned himself into a stellar defender, learning third base on the fly as a natural middle infielder.

Ronny Mauricio making positive impact overall on Mets

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The impact Mauricio makes with the glove is more than enough to warrant his spot on the major league roster. Despite limited innings working the hot corner, he is already one of the better defenders at that spot in the sport. That alone makes him an important piece of the puzzle for the Mets as a key bench contributor at the very least.

Read More: Mets' best rookie has made solid all-around impact

However, if he is going to remain on the big league roster and stick as an everyday player, improvements need to be made at the plate. In the minor leagues, Mauricio had a solid .270/.313/.445 slash line with 79 home runs, 110 doubles and 18 triples. He added 69 stolen bases with 307 RBI. That level of production has not yet translated to the major leagues.

In 81 games and 279 plate appearances, he has a .236/.294/.368 slash line with eight home runs, 10 doubles, and 19 RBI. He has successfully stolen 11 bases without being caught once, providing immense value with his legs; if the 24-year-old can get on base at a higher rate, he can take full advantage of that elite baserunning ability.

Experience could certainly play a part in the early struggles. Everyone adjusts at different speeds and it could take him some time to get used to major league pitching. Mauricio also missed the 2024 campaign because of injury and very well could be knocking off some rust. It also isn’t easy to get into a rhythm when not playing every day.

Ronny Mauricio needs to abandon right-handed hitting

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All of those things are valid reasons for Mauricio to be struggling. But when taking a deeper dive into his statistics, there is a fundamental issue brewing. A switch-hitter, he has been brutal from the right side of the plate when facing southpaws, but is producing against right-handed pitchers when batting from the left side.

His splits at the major league level are extreme and the team needs to strongly consider making him only a left-handed hitter. In his career with New York, Mauricio has a .284/.347/.449 slash line when batting lefty with seven home runs and eight doubles in 176 at-bats. His tOPS+ is 140 and would warrant, at the very least, regular platoon action.

Ronny Mauricio ties things up for the @Mets in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/a4aepenqG8

— MLB (@MLB) July 29, 2025

When he is batting from the right side and facing left-handed pitching, his numbers plummet. He has an abysmal .134/.174/.195 slash line in 82 at-bats with one home run and two doubles. That is well below replacement level with a tOPS+ of 12.

At this point, it wouldn’t hurt the Mets to see what Mauricio can do against left-handed pitching as a left-handed batter, as his production couldn’t get much worse than it already is. In 2025, his right-handed hitting numbers are even worse. He has a .083/.132/.083 slash line with zero extra base hits and 14 strikeouts in 38 plate appearances, with a tOPS of -33.

Something has to be done in that regard and abandoning his right-handed hitting needs to be seriously under consideration. If he can be even a .200 hitter in left-on-left at-bats, his overall production would improve immensely; when taking all the other strengths Mauricio brings to the table into account, perhaps this change could be what allows him to reach his full potential.