DENVER — Brandon Nimmo grew up attending video games at Coors Area. As knowledgeable, he’s appeared in additional of them right here than any of his teammates, giving Nimmo a singular understanding of a spot the place the air is thinner and the house runs journey farther.
However when Ronny Mauricio crushed a 456-foot homer within the third inning Saturday, keying an 8-1 blowout of the Rockies, even Nimmo was shocked.
“Did that simply go within the third deck?” he requested his supervisor within the dugout.
“I feel so,” Carlos Mendoza replied.
Mauricio’s blast certainly arced into a spot the place few baseballs go, forcing followers within the decrease two decks to crane their necks to catch a glimpse of it.
“I really feel like I hit it proper on the barrel,” Mauricio stated in English, the second language he’s been working to good.
Approaching the plate for his first at-bat towards Rockies starter Germán Márquez, Mauricio stated he was merely in search of one thing up within the strike zone. When Márquez complied with a dangling knuckle-curve, Mauricio adjusted to the slower pace of the pitch, whipping his bat by way of the zone to launch it skyward.
Rockies proper fielder Tyler Freeman took a couple of cursory steps backward however gave up as soon as he reached the warning observe. By that time, Mauricio’s ball was hovering over his head, over the out-of-town scoreboard, over the shallow decrease deck in proper, over the steeper second deck behind it, and at last over the digital ribbon board on the going through of the third.
Standing within the on-deck circle, Francisco Lindor quipped that he “didn’t know what to do.”
“It was very far,” Lindor stated. “It was very far. As quickly as he hit it, I’m like, ‘Rattling. That’s going a protracted methods.’”
A partial listing of these to hit a ball longer than Mauricio this season: Mike Trout, Aaron Decide, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Kyle Schwarber.
“It’s silly energy,” Nimmo added.
On a heat night time in Denver, Mauricio was removed from the one one to bludgeon the baseball, as Jared Younger and Jeff McNeil additionally homered, and Lindor rapped out three hits (and stole two bases) on a damaged toe to present Clay Holmes loads of backing. However Mauricio’s shot was clearly essentially the most spectacular of the bunch, giving the Mets visible affirmation of what workforce officers and rival scouts have lengthy stated of him.
Each elite prospect has a carrying instrument — the talent that may get them to the Majors and will outline them as soon as they’re there. Some are good at making contact. Others possess sturdy plate self-discipline or blazingly quick pace. Some prospects area effectively. Others have sturdy throwing arms.
“We all know the facility is actual,” Mendoza stated. “We all know the impression.”
Along with his subsequent phrases, the supervisor cautioned that the Mets nonetheless should be affected person with Mauricio, a 24-year-old who missed the complete 2024 season recovering from a number of knee surgical procedures. When the Mets referred to as Mauricio up final week as an harm substitute for Mark Vientos, Mendoza cited Mauricio’s uncooked plate strategy as one motive to not anoint him a savior.
His future defensive dwelling additionally stays unclear; enjoying third base on Saturday, Mauricio showcased his athleticism to scoop a sluggish floor ball in entrance of him, but additionally dedicated a fielding error on an ungainly two-hopper that struck his glove.
Regardless of all of it, Mauricio’s potential is obvious to see. Along with his homer, Mauricio singled and stole a base within the fifth inning, ending 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Since starting his Main League return on an 0-for-11 skid and not using a ball hit out of the infield, Mauricio is 3-for-5 with 4 batted balls of a minimum of 94 mph.
His homer left the bat at 110 mph, giving Nimmo another reason to really feel a way of awe — not due to how arduous Mauricio hit it, however due to how a lot extra energy the rookie seems to have in reserve.
“He most likely has extra — that’s the loopy half,” Nimmo stated, referencing the 117 mph double Mauricio hit in his first huge league plate look two years in the past. “It’s tremendous particular, tremendous particular. It was actually good for him to get that one. It’s fairly spectacular.”
