The New York Mets are well set for the present and future at the shortstop position. They have the young rising star in Amed Rosario, a player that has improved yearly since his promotion to the bigs in 2017. They have the star prospect in Ronny Mauricio. However, there is a third crucial piece in the puzzle.
Young Andres Gimenez is already showing in spring training that he can hang with the big boys. Yesterday, he hit a home run. He had nine of those in Double-A, which is not known as a hitter’s paradise. He has some pop and is already showing it in games.
Gimenez homered against uber-prospect Alex Reyes, no less. That was the winning hit and represented the Mets’ second win of the spring.
Gimenez is ranked, according to MLB Pipeline, as the New York Mets’ third best prospect. He will start the season in the upper minors, and while lots of things need to go wrong organizationally for him to receive an extended opportunity with the big club, he is showing maturity and determination.
The Mets have a gem
The slick-fielding shortstop is fast. He stole 28 bases last season in Double-A. He is a plus defender with a 60 hit tool, according to MLB. While his average was .250 last season, he is capable of much more.
Even if the Mets block his path to the bigs, he could be a valuable trade piece for a team that will be contending in 2020 and beyond.
The young shortstop spent a lot of time in the offseason packing his 6-foot frame with some more muscle. He also added a leg kick last season as a timing mechanism, thanks to an advice from Minor League coaches.
“He’s worked a lot on his approach,†Mets manager Luis Rojas said to MLB.com. “You can see a little more leverage on his swing, and also he’s put some more muscle on there. Good job by our Minor League coaches and development. They’ve done a good job with him.â€
Make no mistake: his 250/.309/.387 line last season in Double-A may fool you, but this is a talented hitter that managed to make adjustments and rake to the tune of a 371/.413/.586 line in the Arizona Fall League. The New York Mets have a good one in Gimenez.