The Mets have had several good players man third base for them throughout franchise history. But one thing that’s generally been missing is longevity at that spot on the diamond. New York is likely hoping Brett Baty can eventually change that. The 23-year-old is doing everything possible to prepare himself to do so.
Will Sammon of The Athletic wrote an interesting article about Baty and how he spent this offseason preparing for 2023. Last year was a memorable one for the top prospect. Outside of six games at Triple-A Syracuse, Baty essentially jumped straight from Double-A to the big leagues. His arrival was punctuated by slugging a homer in his first career at-bat.
Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for him. He ended up posting a .586 OPS and 71 wRC+ in 42 plate appearances before hitting the injured list. It was a taste of what he could get in the very near future, though.
Thanks to a prior connection, Baty spent the winter getting schooled on what it’s like to be a big leaguer by Troy Tulowitzki. It’s rather clear that Baty craves constructive criticism so he can constantly improve. Here’s what he said about Tulo’s influence:
He’s not going to beat around the bush about anything and he’s not going to sugarcoat anything. If he doesn’t see something he thinks will play at the next level, he will tell you straight up.
And I love that in people. I don’t really like people who are just there to tell you how good you are, tell you how good you look and stuff like that. I like the people that are actually going to be honest with you, and help you get better.
Sounds like someone has a growth mindset. Despite being a first-round draft pick and top prospect throughout his short professional career, he’s still hungry for more.
Although he won’t sugarcoat things, count Tulowitzki as another believer in Baty’s offensive ability. An area the third baseman can work on is his technique in the field. While working out with Tulo, other players would also stop in to do the same. One of them? Three-time Gold Glove-winning (and two-time Platinum Glove-winning) third baseman, Matt Chapman. Here’s what he said about it:
That was a really good experience. He is one of the very best third basemen in the game. Just to be able to pick his brain about how he goes about his business over there, and how he fields, his cues and what helps him out was really good.
Mets pitchers and catchers aren’t required to report to Port St. Lucie until February 15th. But, Brett Baty is already at the complex getting his work in. He knows how important this year is for his development. He also knows how important his performance during camp will be in the coming weeks.
Even if Baty lights the world on fire during Grapefruit League action, being ticketed for Syracuse is a real possibility. But if he starts the year hot, it may not be long until New York promotes him again. Whenever that happens, you can assume Baty wants that one to be for good.
The gold standard for Mets third basemen is obviously David Wright. For a position that had mostly been a revolving door of short-term solutions, the Captain stands out. He was a homegrown product that led the team in games played at third base for 12 consecutive years.
Wright might be able to impart some of his wisdom to Brett Baty this spring, too. New York is probably hoping their time together can serve as a ceremonial passing of the torch from one third baseman to another. One thing we can be sure of, though, is he’ll do everything possible to ensure he’s ready when the opportunity rises.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
