Shervyen Newton Begins To Tap Into Tools

When the Mets ventured across Florida in spring training for a rare game against the Red Sox, 19-year-old shortstop Shervyen Newton was part of the traveling squad.

Newton didn’t play in the game in Fort Myers, but assistant general manager Allard Baird wanted him to meet Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Both hail from the Dutch Caribbean islands off the coast of Venezuela, Bogaerts from Aruba and Newton from Curacao.

Baird, who worked in the Boston front office when Bogaerts joined the organization, sat with Newton during the game.

“(Newton) is smart, sees the game advanced for his age and level of play,” said Baird, who was hired by GM Brodie Van Wagenen last winter. “Lots of tools, has some power. A lot of swing and miss at this time, but he shows the physical attributes to be a pretty good player.”

For Rookie-level Kingsport last season, Newton hit .280/.408/.449 with five home runs and 46 walks in 56 games. He spent the previous two seasons in the Dominican Summer League after signing with the Mets in July 2015.

Newton, a switch-hitter, stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 180 pounds, but Baird doesn’t believe that will be a detriment to him continuing at shortstop.

“They said the same thing about Bogaerts when he was young, that he was going to grow out of the position,” Baird said. “I think when you have a young player like that, let him dictate if he has to come off the position, rather than going ahead and saying he has to move.”

But the Mets are also deep at shortstop, with Andres Gimenez and Ronny Mauricio ahead of him in the farm system. The Mets also have a top third base prospect in Mark Vientos.

“(Newton) is the type of guy who will probably play a lot of different positions and it will depend on which club he’s with, because we have got some guys in Vientos and Mauricio,” Baird said. “That’s a good thing to have. I wish they were a little staggered, but that’s OK. We’ll deal with it. You never question when you have real prospects, and those guys are real prospects.”