Mets’ Nick Morabito Makes Targeted Improvements At Double-A
The Mets had two primary goals for Nick Morabito at Double-A Binghamton this season.
One was to develop him from a solid center fielder into a plus one.
The other was to help him tap into his average raw power.
While the 22-year-old Morabito has not set the world on fire in the Eastern League, he has continued to do things he has always done well, while also showing growth in key areas.
He is a better center fielder than he was a year ago. While many evaluators would grade him as above-average rather than plus, Morabito is still learning the finer points of the position and has room to improve.
That makes sense because he was just as much a middle infielder as he was a center fielder when the Mets drafted him out of high school in Washington, D.C., as a compensatory second-round pick in 2022.
Morabito reads the ball well off the bat and charges it well. Some line drives hit right at him will give him trouble, but his plus speed helps him outrun many mistakes. His arm is fringe-average but accurate.
At the plate, Morabito continues to walk at a healthy rate, enhancing his overall production. Through 101 games with Binghamton he batted .281/.350/.408 with six home runs and 41 stolen bases. He ranks top 10 in the EL in batting average and steals as well as with 25 doubles and 57 runs.
Morabito is an average hitter with a good OBP foundation. His isolated slugging percentage is a career high this year. He has worked with Binghamton hitting coach Nate Irving and Mets player development to translate more of his hard-hit balls into extra-base hits by changing his approach, not necessarily his swing.
“We’re trying to minimize the traditional swing adjustments players have,” Mets farm director Andrew Christie said. “It’s more about putting young hitters in an environment where they have to self-organize where we want them to hit the ball.
“Extreme fastball angle? We want them to hit the ball over the (pitching) machine on a line. Slow breaking ball? Pure backspin to (the player’s pull side).
“It’s about adapting to those environments without thinking about the mechanics of your swing.”
Morabito is a strong, compact 5-foot-10 righthanded hitter with average raw power. He tends to let the ball travel and uses an inside-out swing. As a result, four of his six homers this year have been hit to the opposite field.
Following a successful season at Double-A, Morabito’s next test comes in November when the Mets must decide whether to add him to the 40-man roster or risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft.
