2023 TOPPS NOW RONNY MAURICIO
Is it possible for something to be both devastating and not-all-that important at the same time? That’s the question to ponder with the news that Ronny Mauricio is likely done for the year after an ACL injury. This Topps Now card shows why it might be devastating, as it highlights the 117.3 mph double that served as Mauricio’s first MLB hit. That’s an elite exit velocity – the hardest-hit ball by a Met last season. We all had dreams that Mauricio would deliver many more hits like that in 2024. And now that won’t be happening.
But it’s also important to remember that in a small – but not tiny – sample of 108 PA, Mauricio put up a 77 OPS+ last season in the majors. If the success of your season depends on a guy last seen hitting below The Galvis Line, that’s, um, not good. If Maricio could bounce back from this tough start, shouldn’t we hold out similar hope for Brett Baty?
Sure, Baty was worse in a much-larger sample and didn’t have the highs that Mauricio did. And just for the record, my hope before the injury was that Mauricio got the third base job in the majors and that Baty opened the year in the minors. But at the end of the day, the Mets are still in a similar position, hoping a highly touted youngster can show improvement in his second go-round. And that’s true whether we’re looking at Mauricio or Baty or even Mark Vientos,
None of the three graded as even average fielders at the position. We saw Vientos went to work out with Francisco Lindor, with an emphasis on fielding drills. Lindor hopes to do the same with Baty. For the most part, defense isn’t the most glamorous part of the job. So, it’s good to see Vientos putting in the work.
Still, I lean to the “devastating” side of the question posed here at the beginning. That’s why the featured card is of Mauricio. If you’re not familiar with Topps Now, here’s how the company describes the offering on its website:
TOPPS NOW® celebrates the greatest moments in Sports and Entertainment… as they happen! TOPPS NOW® trading cards are available for 24 hours only, offered exclusively on Topps.com, and include Free Shipping. Print runs of every card are announced on Topps.com so you know how rare your cards are! Enjoy the thrill of collecting your favorite heroes, teams, and moments every step of the way with TOPPS NOW®!
Hopefully the copywriter got paid by the exclamation point.
The website shows that the print run of this card was 4.001 copies and it’s listed as sold out. We don’t really know if it sold out or it’s just not available for sale, as they’re allegedly available only for one day. The price listed on the website was $9.99, which seems to be the lowest price for the various cards displayed.
But you can go to eBay and buy it now for as little as $3.50 + shipping. Plus, there are several active auctions where no one has participated and the minimum bid is $0.99 – so this might be a great time to speculate.
It’s easy to forget that Chipper Jones missed what was expected to be his rookie season in 1994 when he suffered a torn ACL. All Jones did when he returned was post a 141 OPS+ in 10,610 PA. Of course, few people are as good as Jones was in his career. It’s just that a missed season with this injury at the beginning of your career is not a death sentence.
It’s bad Brian. No doubt about it,
There are far worse happening in this world, but I really hope that this card is not the pinnacle of Ronny’s career. To this point, his injury represents the Met offseason…very gloomy.