The potential path for Baty in 2023

This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat e-newsletter. To learn the total e-newsletter, click on right here. And subscribe to get it usually in your inbox.

On the morning that Carlos Correa agreed to contract phrases with the Mets, Brett Baty — like so many with a vested curiosity within the membership — awoke to greater than a dozen textual content messages from buddies and acquaintances. As Baty was processing the news, his agent referred to as to verify that Correa was certainly coming to Queens, set to dam him at his pure place of third base. 

The subsequent weeks, in fact, modified every thing. Upon medical assessment, Correa wound up signing in Minnesota as an alternative of New York, reopening potential taking part in time for MLB Pipeline’s second-ranked Mets prospect. Baty is now ready to compete for the crew’s beginning third-base job alongside Eduardo Escobar and others, with an opportunity to win it outright. 

“At the end of the day, you want that guy on your team,” Baty mentioned of Correa, talking this week on a telephone interview. “If we did end up signing him, I would have been fine with going to try to play left field if somebody needed a day off or something like that. I just want to be in the big leagues helping a team win.”

But admittedly, Baty says, not having Correa round is healthier for his private targets. Had Correa and Francisco Lindor been locked into the left facet of New York’s infield for the following decade-plus, Baty would have both been traded or compelled to maneuver to a different place — most probably left subject, which he’s performed all through his life however by no means as steadily as third base. 

Now, his path is clearer. Even if Escobar wins the third-base job this spring, Baty stands a powerful probability of turning into the starter sooner or later over the following yr. He may additionally settle right into a platoon with Escobar, who’s stronger towards left-handed pitchers. 

“I see it like, if I go out there and show them that I’m capable of playing really solid defense and swinging it against Major League pitching in Spring Training, I feel like I’m going to get a shot,” mentioned Baty, who homered on his first large league swing final August. “I’m going to get a look. But at the end of the day, it’s their call.”

One factor Baty has working in his favor is the truth that Escobar and Mark Vientos have each dedicated to taking part in within the World Baseball Classic, leaving Baty with an opportunity to obtain important reps deep into March — one thing that wouldn’t essentially be the case in a standard spring. That will permit Baty to showcase each his capacity to hit large league pitching and his aptitude at third base, which he feels is vastly improved even from final season. 

Working out on the University of Texas’ baseball facility, Baty has put in numerous hours fielding topspin floor balls, performing one-handed drills and likewise reaction-based coaching, such because the close-range “Ron Washington” drill named after the longtime Major League coach and supervisor. Baty has additionally performed loads of conditioning work in his hometown of Lake Travis, Texas, at a non-public facility the place stars such because the NBA’s LaMarcus Aldridge and the NFL’s Myles Garrett practice. 

For the 23-year-old Baty, hitting has by no means been in query. The former No. 12 general decide produced a .943 OPS over 95 video games within the Minors final season, all however skipping over Triple-A Syracuse on his solution to a late-season debut. A subsequent proper thumb damage prematurely ended his season, however Baty, who underwent surgical procedure to restore that ligament, was absolutely healed from the damage by November and feels “stronger than ever.” He’s been in common contact with Mets infield coach Joey Cora, bench coach Eric Chavez and farm director Kevin Howard, and he’s planning to report back to Spring Training nearly a month early. 

No longer blocked by Correa, Baty understands the chance in entrance of him. 

“Everything happens for a reason,” Baty mentioned. “We didn’t get [Correa], and now I’m back to being a third baseman first. We’ll see where it goes.”