PORT ST. LUCIE — A.J. Ewing might not make an impact in the majors this season, but he took advantage of his presence in the Mets’ Grapefruit League opener on Saturday, hitting a sacrifice fly and showing off his speed and baseball IQ in center field in a 2-1 loss to Miami at Clover Park.
Known as one of the organization’s quickest players, Ewing was in center field when he alertly chased down an errant throw by Kevin Parada on a stolen base attempt by Miami’s Colby Shade.
Ewing got to the ball and made a strong throw to third for the out.
The 21-year-old, who finished last season with Double-A Binghamton, has impressed Carlos Mendoza.
“There’s a lot to like,’’ Mendoza said. “I like him as a hitter at the plate. And his defense, he gets great jumps and made some good plays with reads off the bat.”
Ewing entered spring as one of the top three position player prospects in the organization after swiping 70 bases last season in the minors. If he can hit well enough, Ewing could make an impact down the road.
“His ability to give you a really good at-bat from the left side and speed is pretty encouraging,’’ Mendoza said.
As Jorge Polanco works to acclimate himself with first base, he’ll have a pair of other infielders with little experience as his primary backups.
Mendoza said prior to Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener that Brett Baty and Mark Vientos would likely get plenty of reps there, especially as the veteran Polanco is expected to get significant time at DH.
“We’ve got options,’’ Mendoza said of first base. “It depends on matchups and the schedule. We feel really good with the guys when it’s not Polanco.”
The split could make sense, with the right-handed Vientos pairing with the lefty-swinging Baty, who is still taking things slow this spring after experiencing right hamstring discomfort early in camp.
“He continues to progress,’’ Mendoza said of Baty. “He’s trending in the right direction.”
There remains no timetable on when Baty, who is now mostly working at first base to protect the hamstring, might begin work in the outfield.
Marcus Semien was at second base and in the leadoff spot for Saturday’s opener, but Mendoza said they would monitor the 35-year-old’s workload in the spring.
“He wants to play,’’ Mendoza said of Semien, who has appeared in at least 155 games eight times in his career, but was limited to 127 last season due to a left foot injury.
“He takes pride in being available, posting [and] being in the lineup,’’ Mendoza said. “We will have to watch him closely and communicate once we get going.”
Mark Vientos and Luis Torrens are among the veterans expected to make the trip to Tampa on Sunday, along with Carson Benge.
Clay Holmes will make his Grapefruit League debut when he starts Monday’s game against Toronto in Dunedin, Fla.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
