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Considered one of the top rookies available during the 2017-2018 international signing period, the Mets and Dominican shortstop Ronny Mauricio agreed to a $2.1 million signing bonus for inking a deal with the organization, making his bonus the highest ever doled out by the team (a record that they would break the following year, when catcher Francisco Alvarez was signed for $2.7 million). He made his professional debut in 2018, suiting up for the GCL Mets and hitting .279/.307/.421 in 49 games. At the end of the season, he got a brief promotion to the Kingsport Mets, appearing in 8 games and going 7-30 with 3 walks, 9 strikeouts, and a stolen base. Rather than continue his development there in 2019, the Mets were extremely aggressive and assigned him to the Columbia Fireflies. One of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League, Mauricio hit .290/.333/.394 in 59 games in the first half and .244/.280/.320 in 56 games in the second half, good fo
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Steve Sypa
When the Mets drafted Mark Vientos in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft, the case could be made that they were getting a steal. With prospect fatigue setting in after years of being scouted on the showcase circuit, a quad injury that limited his playing time during his senior year at American Heritage High School, and a commitment to the University of Miami that was considered fairly strong, teams passed over the borderline first-round talent, allowing the Mets to select him with the 59th overall pick. He signed with the Mets fairly quickly, receiving a $1,500,000 signing bonus roughly $400,000 above the MLB-assigned slot value of $1,094,700 and split the rest of the summer with the GCL and Kingsport Mets, with whom the 17-year-old hit a combined .262/.318/.398 with 4 home runs in 51 games. He would spend the entire 2018 season with the Kingsport Mets, hitting .287/.389/.489 with 11 home runs in 60 games, comparing very favorably to some of the best prospects in the