WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — All eyes are on Luisangel Acuña, who is opening some.
Special assistant Carlos Beltran chatted up the young infielder before Monday’s game, the two walking together for several minutes before Beltran watched Acuña take batting practice.
The brother of Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. then ran to second base for his first start of the Grapefruit League season, playing alongside what projects to be three-quarters of the Mets’ starting infield (Pete Alonso at first, Brett Baty at third and Francisco Lindor at shortstop).
Acuña and Lindor, in particular, have talked plenty the past few days, the shortstop of the Mets’ present and future looking out for his possible future double-play partner.
Lindor, Acuña said, has been preaching about taking care of his body.
Manager Carlos Mendoza intentionally paired the two as up-the-middle defenders, saying it is “important for them to create that connection, not only off the field but on the field.”
And during Acuña’s first at-bat, he caught the eye of Mendoza. The first impression of Acuña’s first start of the exhibition season was a strong one.
The top prospect handled several ground balls with ease and lined a pair of opposite-field hits into right field as part of a solid, 2-for-3 afternoon.
It was not the hits but the manner in which Acuña conducted his at-bats that impressed his manager.
“He got down 0-2 in his first at-bat and then got back in the count,” Mendoza said after the 6-3 win over the Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. “He had really good takes on a couple of tough pitches. That for me right away — I said something in the dugout, like, ‘All right, that looks good right there.’
“For him to go the other way on that fastball, 2-2 count, it was good. That’s what you want to see out of these young guys.”
Acuña, who was the jewel return of the Max Scherzer trade last year, finished his 2023 season at Double-A Binghamton.
Across 121 total games between the Rangers and Mets affiliates, the Venezuela native hit .294 with a .769 OPS, plus nine home runs and 52 steals.
Listed at 5-foot-8, Acuña is speedy and sure-handed.
He predominantly has played shortstop throughout his minor league career, a spot that is taken at the major league level by Lindor.
So moving over to second base — a position Acuna said he is “very, very comfortable at” — could be a peek toward the future, whether that means in late 2024 or in 2025.
“Looks good around the base, the footwork, the way he turns the double play,” Mendoza said. “Obviously the range is going to play up on second base, but he’s pretty comfortable there even though he’s more like a natural shortstop.”
Lindor has told Acuña to try to slow the game down, which can be difficult, especially for young players. Acuña did not look overwhelmed in his first real shot of the spring.
“As a young player, you want to do things quick. But it’s all about making adjustments,” Acuña said through interpreter (and infield coordinator) Luis Rivera.
