Mets prospect Andrés Giménez has a chance to be “very special”

Part 3 of a series analyzing the main perspectives of the New York Mets

Amed Rosario is 24 years old and is entrenched at shortstop. Ronny Mauricio is considered the best prospect for the Mets, although he is only 19 years old.

Then there is Andrés Giménez, 21, who was fined by Triple-A Syracuse before the COVID-19 pandemic closed spring training in March.

It’s hard to know where Giménez will fit in the future, but an expanded roster in a shortened season could open up a place in the majors for him as a possible backup for Rosario on shortstop and even Robinson Cano at second base.

That would be fine with Giménez, who was savoring the weather at Major League Baseball during the spring, especially learning from Cano.

“Playing with him is something I dreamed of,” said Giménez this spring. “Robinson Cano is a guy I always saw on television. He is a role model. He always has the right advice for young people who want to learn about the game. “

Giménez said Cano has been helpful in improving double plays.

“I feel really good defensively at shortstop, and I know that being better on double plays is one more step,” said Giménez. “He has played with so many greats that he knows what I have to do to improve.”

The same goes for Rosario, who said he was trying to give Giménez the same assistance that Cano and José Reyes did when he was a minor league player.

“He is a great talent,” Rosario said through a translator. “He has incredible abilities. The energy it brings to the team is different. That’s not easy to have every day, but it does. I’ve been in a situation where I was moving up the ranks, so I’m just trying to give him all the knowledge I’ve learned over the years. “

That goes for Mauricio too.

“I will do everything I can for them, as the other boys did for me when I was to come,” Rosario said. “It doesn’t matter if we play in the same position, I want those guys to be as good as they can be.” They are so young and so talented. It’s a difficult season, and I think there’s a lot I can give them. “

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Giménez, a left-handed rake from Venezuela, will have to cut his strikeouts, but what stands out the most from Luis Rojas, who coached Giménez at Double-A Binghamton in 2018 and could again this season sometime in Queens, is his vigor. .

“Giménez has a lot of energy,” said Rojas. “It seems to be everywhere there shortly. It’s getting more comfortable around the bag. And as you can see from years past, it’s put a little bit of strength into it and been able to hold on to more pitches.”

His offensive needs work, but Rojas is confident he will come.

“He is a very smart boy,” said the manager. “His baseball IQ is high and if he matches that [strength]So we are seeing someone who can be very special. “

And although he had the opportunity, he tried to make the most of his time around Cano, Rosario, and the other major league players.

“I feel like I’m stronger with my body and my mind than last year,” said Giménez. “I am happy to have this opportunity and I want to show that I can play at this level.”