If we’re being honest, Mets prospect Brett Baty had the best spring training out of any primary third baseman in Port St. Lucie. That’s a big reason why a good chunk of the fan base was annoyed by him getting optioned to Triple-A to start 2023.
Considering the situation, it wasn’t overly surprising. The reasoning that was given for the move was Grade-A bologna, though. But still, if Baty continues raking in Syracuse, it’ll only be a matter of time before he finally forces the Mets’ hand.
The Syracuse Mets’ season got started on Friday. Through two games, the sweet-swinging left-handed hitter is torching his opposition. Baty put together a four-hit day in just six innings on Saturday. His big performance included two homers, one of which was a grand slam.
He launched it to the opposite field and still mustered an exit velocity of 111 mph:
Brett Baty just hit an opposite-field grand slam that left the bat at over 111 miles per hour.
That's it. That's the tweet. pic.twitter.com/vPUBo6utfN
— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) April 1, 2023
Look, I love Eduardo Escobar. I really do, and I think his personality is a crucial part of this team and the vibe in the clubhouse. But it was abundantly clear at the end of camp who should’ve traveled to Miami to be the starting third baseman. That was Baty. And he’s continuing to show he’s ready to finish his development in the big leagues.
He’s registered five hits in his first nine at-bats of the year to go along with five RBI. Meanwhile, Escobar has started 1-for-12 with a single for New York.
The Mets aren’t going to call Baty up tomorrow. Escobar has a longer leash than that. But if May 1st or May 15th rolls around and he’s still tearing up Triple-A pitching (and Esky is struggling), it’ll be interesting to see how much longer they try and wait.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
