Brett Baty has to prove his Mets doubters wrong

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PORT ST. LUCIE Brett Baty frequently is powering the ball here, sending it from Field 1 clear to Hometown Hero Memorial, a small, stately plaza about 50 feet beyond the fence. If pitchers are ahead of the hitters, Baty may be the exception.

Theres still plenty to love about the power-hitting Baty, which is good news since he may be the most vital player in determining whether the Mets fulfill new baseball president David Stearns stated playoff expectations. On that score, cases could be made for Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Harrison Bader or Francisco Alvarez. But well take the Baty here as the key man.

Its a long lineup of nice talent with huge questions attached, mostly due to injury or inconsistency (Alvarezs only question, of course, is his youth). Baty has enormous upside, most scouts still tell you. But he picked up several question marks in his disappointing stints at Citi Field last year most notably the position and possibly even the locale (is New York right for him?). One scout even questioned his ability to hit a major league fastball (more on that below) after an unexpectedly rough rookie season when he posted an abysmal 65 OPS-plus.

He got kicked in the mouth last year, new Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said in an honest assessment bordering on blunt.

Brett_Baty_has_to_prove_his_Mets_doubters_wrong 3Brett Baty’s rough rookie year gave plenty around baseball doubts about his future. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTTheres still enough in Batys background (he was hitting .400 when he got the call-up from Triple-A Syracuse!), track record and scouting report that he gets first crack at third base. Officially, Mendoza only says hes in the mix. But unofficially, its his job to lose. Mark Vientos (a big bat with bigger defensive questions), Joey Wendle (a versatile, defense-first veteran utilityman) and Zack Short (a defensive specialist) provide depth. If theres one thing these Mets have, its depth.

Still, Baty remains the great hope at third, a longtime trouble spot for the Mets, who basically held tryouts there for decades until David Wright solved it for nearly a decade and a half. Last year fans were clamoring for Baty and team personnel were raving one Mets person went so far as to say he had the best power in the organization, a stretch on a team with Pete Alonso but the reports are decidedly mixed now.

Brett_Baty_has_to_prove_his_Mets_doubters_wrong 3Baty is showing off some serious power at spring training, but must carry it into the regular season. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTI still think he has a chance to be an impactful hitter, one scout said in what seems to be the prevailing opinion.

Another scout wondered if the instruction he received last year may have been wrong for him. Baty, characteristically, makes no excuses. Its on me, he said.

The rookie numbers werent pretty nine home runs, a .212 batting average, a 31 percent strikeout percentage and a minus-0.8 WAR. But a few hundred at-bats (353 to be exact) over 108 games cant erase all the Mets had seen from him as a Texas schoolboy star that led them to draft him 12th overall in the 2019 draft, and in the minors.

Most envision a major rebound. But one scout reserves serious doubts. If I had to guess, Baty will not be the long-term answer at third for the Mets slow reaction at third and he needs to hit fastballs in the big leagues to stick around and that will be a challenge for him, that scout said.

Despite the doubters, theres enough reason to think 2023 was merely an adjustment year, one that will not be repeated. The Mets werent going to go big in free agency this winter, anyway, not with their payroll still tops in baseball (and more importantly still over the fourth tier, the Steve Cohen luxury-tax threshold) and realistic World Series aspirations probably a year away. But it made sense to give Baty another shot, to see what they have.

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Check out more newslettersBaty has set his goals to drive the ball more, play better defense and of course establish himself as a regular player. He sounds like hes trying not to let the disappointment that was 2023 overwhelm him.

These are the best players in the world. I think it takes everyone a little bit of getting used to, Baty said. At the end of the day its the same game. Im just going to go out and have fun and work hard and win the club some ballgames.

Scouts whove seen him since high school still believe he can turn himself into something close to an average defender in the major leagues. But one scout said hed be better in the outfield. And Baty isnt ruling that out.

Brett_Baty_has_to_prove_his_Mets_doubters_wrong 3The Mets hope Baty can be the answer at third — though there’s plenty of depth to challenge him. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTI just want to play. I dont care where Im playing, Baty said. I just want to hit and I just want to be out there on the field winning games, wherever that may be.

Hes a very nice young man, and perhaps because his performance paled so much compared to his potential, one scout wondered if hed do better out of New York. Baty doesnt think so.

Its all I know, Baty said. I know everyone says its tough playing in New York and the fans are brutal, but I welcome that because that makes me want to play so much better.

With good reason, the fans are far from the only ones expecting so much more from Baty.

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