3 positive Mets Spring Training overreactions

A positive New York Mets fan isn’t always the easiest person to spot. In March, they’re a bit easier to find, particularly in the era of Steve Cohen calling the shots.

Mets fans have a lot of reasons to feel optimistic about the team. Positive overreactions from the first 2+ weeks of Spring Training are natural for a fanbase eager to quench the championship thirst.

While not completely off-base, I’ll join you as a participant in at least semi-believing each of these early overreactions.

1) Positive NY Mets overreaction: Ronny Mauricio is officially a star

Brett Baty is having an outstanding spring. Ronny Mauricio has been equally as eye-catching this spring, almost in a surprising manner. He’s hitting for a ton of power. Is he a future star in the making? Bombs like this seem to suggest he might.

Mauricio has become somewhat forgotten in the Mets’ farm system. Every draft. Each round of international free agent signings. The occasional sudden rise of another prospect. All of these have pushed Mauricio down the ladder on most lists of top Mets prospects. His amazing spring has helped turn him into a little bit of a rockstar.

Exactly where Mauricio fits into the picture long term remains a question with no obvious answer. He could be a third base option. The Mets could always look to shift him to the outfield to find a spot. Then there’s the possibility Mauricio roves around a little bit and becomes an offensive weapon at more than one position.

It’s far too early to start thinking about which Mets teammate or coach is the one to introduce Mauricio at Cooperstown. Fans haven’t overreacted yet to those lengths. A nice meeting point could be believing Mauricio may be an option by July for the 2023 team. The Mets are loaded with young bats. Mauricio is definitely in the race to join them on the MLB roster at some point.

3) Positive NY Mets overreaction: The bullpen has a ton of hidden gems

This overreaction is something I’m sure takes place every spring in one direction or the other. The Mets actually have several relievers pitching well this spring. John Curtiss, Sam Coonrod, Stephen Nogosek, William Woods, etc. have all held the opponent at bay. It’s nice to see, but nobody should be ready to count on any of them to get through the season pitching at this high of a level.

If one or two of these arms and any of the other guys in the mix for relief innings turns into something, the Mets can consider themselves lucky. Billy Eppler was especially active this offseason trying to find fringe-MLB players. He made multiple waiver claims, signed a couple of minor league free agents, and a few other Mets pitchers who have been with the team in the minors are now a little bit closer.

Overreactions are a huge part of being a fan. It’s fun to see Bryce Montes de Oca throw hard and embarrass hitters. When it’s happening in March, it’s easy to get caught up and believe he’ll do it for months.

Fortunately, this overreaction is more tempered than some of the others. Nobody is ready to remove Edwin Diaz from the closer role in favor of Curtiss simply because he has been so good in these early exhibition games. Mets fans, maybe more than some others, know that a few good innings in the preseason don’t always translate into many more during the regular season.

We can all compromise and good faith that when all of these relievers combine their powers together, things will turn out the best they can.