How Will He Thrive in Twenty-Five?: Brett Baty

[Edgy MD]

Handed the Opening Day third base job in 2024, BB had a moment or two, but fizzled through the first 50 games. Meanwhile, given a chance to operate under the radar, his frenemy Mark Vientos came on strong, overtook him, and never stopped coming.

Maybe — and this is merely a maybe proposition — this dynamic can work the opposite way as well. Now that the heat is on Vientos, Baty finds room to grow. It's a complicated business, turning young men into baseball heroes, and there is no one formula.

Room for two thirdbasemen has always been hard to find, but with DH slots and a little versatility on defense, it can be done. The 1986 Mets had three third-baseman for the whole year. The 1969ers had at least two, and sometimes three as well.

It is a new year with a new number on his back. Brett and his little auburn ducktail may end up establishing themselves yet, or they may turn into an occasionally useful journeyman package, or they may play themselves into obscurity. But they are not done yet.

Are they?

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[FIMG=353]https://www.si.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Ch_1200%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1200/MTk1MzA2NDE3Njc3MTQ5ODgz/usatsi_18945392.jpg[/FIMG] [FIMG=347]https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2023/04/18082415/GettyImages-1251933908-scaled.jpg[/FIMG]

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

no.

21 homers, 70 ribbies, 270/330/430

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think somebody is going to displace McNeil at second base before the season is over. My guess is Acuna, but it could very well be Baty.

Or Baty could get swapped during the season for a reasonably decent starting pitcher.

But I don't think he'll take Vientos' job away, barring injury, natch.

[metirish]

Brett will thrive on the bench ,I don't see a spot for him to thrive on the field

[MFS62]

.238-5-25 in a reserve role.

Later

[Edgy MD]

But I don't think he'll take Vientos' job away, barring injury, natch.

 

Well, he could always bump MV to DH.

[ashie62]

Future Pirates 3B

[roger_that]

I can see him having a breakout year as the Mets' primary DH and backup utility infielder. .265/27/85

[Lefty Specialist]

He won't get enough playing time and will accordingly suck. He's been passed by Acuna, who has more position flexibility. And when Mauricio gets healthy he'll probably pass him too. Has nothing to prove at Syracuse, so I can see him being swapped at the trade deadline and blossoming with regular at-bats somewhere else.

But while he's here he'll be 3/16/.208.

[Cowtipper]

22 home runs, 68 RBI, .279 RBI.

At Triple-A.

In baseball terms, he ain't no spring chicken no more and I'm not envisioning a sudden breakout at 26. .204 BA, 4 homers, a trade in June for a reliever to help shore up the weak bullpen.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Mets’ Brett Baty no longer a prospect, but hope remains: ‘He’s gotta go out and do it’

 

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — He did it again. He hit consistently, pummeling balls to all fields. He made plays defensively, too, occasionally some dazzling ones. For another spring training, Brett Baty looked capable of helping the New York Mets.

Is this the year he breaks through?

The Mets have yet to tell Baty that he’s made the Opening Day roster, but things are lining up in his favor. First, Nick Madrigal’s season-ending injury opened up a spot for a utility infielder. Then Jeff McNeil’s short-term oblique injury created a lane for consistent at-bats at second base. And on Saturday, the Mets told veteran infielder Donovan Walton that he didn’t make the cut.

That leaves Luisangel Acuña and Baty for two infield spots, though the Mets may make an acquisition before the opener on Thursday.

Throughout spring training, Baty did his part by slashing .354/.415/.708 with three home runs while playing steady defense at second base, still a new position for him.

Baty, 25, said he doesn’t pay attention to spring training numbers. Left unsaid: He holds firsthand knowledge of how they can work like funhouse mirrors. At spring training in 2023, Baty hit .325. Last spring training, he hit three home runs. He entered last season as the Mets’ starting third baseman. By June, he lost the job because of a .628 OPS. Whatever adjustments Baty made heading into 2024 after producing a measly .598 OPS (389 plate appearances) in 2023 didn’t stick long beyond the end of last spring.

This year’s adjustments intrigue rival scouts, who mostly remain skeptical until they see Baty consistently hit in the major leagues. His latest revamp started last year, soon after the Mets’ season ended in late October. Baty called Aaron Capista, a private hitting coach and former minor-league infielder who lives in Austin, Texas, near Baty’s hometown of Round Rock.

“I felt like we were talking for three hours,” Baty said. “I usually don’t have conversations with anybody for that long.”

They got to work the next day. Baty recounted days working with Capista when he didn’t even get a hit in batting practice simulations. He went home with that feeling by design. Capista said he tried to make up situations as challenges, telling Baty he was in a 0-for-17 skid one day, that people were booing, that articles were being written. It’s hard to simulate such adversities. But Baty knows the feelings. He welcomed the idea of trying to fight them.

“That aspect really resonated with me,” Baty said, “just the challenging part.”

From a mechanics standpoint, Baty worked on being more athletic in the batter’s box (he’s moving his front foot a bit more to create pre-pitch momentum), maintaining his posture and landing his stride so that he wasn’t diving over the plate. Perhaps most notably, Baty is finishing with two hands on the bat. Generally, Capista said, following through with both hands keeps the barrel of the bat through the strike zone longer.

Capista also stressed improving Baty’s swing decisions. In spring training, Baty swung more aggressively at strikes early in counts. His takes, scouts said, stand out, too.

“That mentality has even made my takes a lot easier, too,” Baty said.

Scouts in the Grapefruit League say they see more confidence in Baty using his hands, and they like his timing against fastballs. But multiple scouts offer caution: They’ve seen similar versions of Baty before, and he’s yet to translate that success to the major leagues.

“He’s gotta go out and do it,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s gotta trust the work that he not only did in the offseason but what he’s been doing here in camp.”

Similar things can be said about Baty’s defense. As one scout put it, Baty is “playing more free,” meaning he appears less afraid of making errors and instead makes aggressive plays at third base and second base. He started playing the latter position in the second half of last year in Triple A, so some of the nuances — reading balls for cutoffs in the outfield, for example — remain a work in progress.

“His movement suggests confidence,” a scout said. “He’s direct to the ball with better footwork. He’s made improvements.”

Baty outgrew prospect lists, which is different from outperforming them. Prospect publications had him as best as the No. 13 prospect (Baseball Prospectus) ahead of the 2022 season. There aren’t a ton of examples of players with such pedigree who have struggled for multiple seasons before becoming quality major leaguers. Through 598 career plate appearances, Baty has slashed .215/.282/.325 with 15 home runs.

Still, Baty wouldn’t be the first late bloomer, either.

“Careers aren’t always a straight line,” Baty said.

Baty is again in a good position for an opportunity. This time, will he seize it? There’s plenty at stake. Baty holds just one minor-league option. In addition to McNeil looming as the incumbent second baseman, prospects such as Acuña, Jett Williams and Ronny Mauricio are on Baty’s heels. He needs to perform when it matters. It’ll either be the kind of season that required years in the making or one that started with another false spring.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6223536/2025/03/23/mets-brett-baty-expectations/

[Cowtipper]

I have a hunch he'll have a couple .260 BA, 500 AB seasons elsewhere, but his big league career won't even be 10 seasons.