As Camps Open, the Mets Understand Their Assignment

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Nothing matches baseball for reassuring signs of renewal. The first smashing of shoulder pads on a steamy summer day? The first squeaking of sneakers on hardwood in a gym? Nope. There’s baseball, and there’s everything else.

And there they were Tuesday morning, a prospect and a coach behind the batting cages and bullpen mounds, on a diamond with no outfield at the Mets’ training complex. The half field, as it is called, is like a luxury home with a soaring entryway but no rooms — capable of facilitating just infield practice, nothing else.

Joey Cora, 57, a former major league infielder now skilled in the fine points of the fungo bat, smacked rollers to Ronny Mauricio, 21, a rangy Dominican shortstop with power and speed. Mauricio wore shorts, a backward cap and a Mets T-shirt, sweat pouring through it as he darted left and right for grounders until Cora lined one over the little fence, just behind the infield dirt. Oops.

“Old habits, baby!” someone cried, and Cora smiled. It took him some 1,000 trips to the plate to actually hit a home run in the majors.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/sports/baseball/buck-showalter-mets.html