Entering 2023 Spring Training, the Opening Day roster status of New York Mets‘ second-ranked prospect, Brett Baty, has sparked many conversations.
Baty is a talented 23-year-old. He is gifted with all of the size, power, ability to hit for contact, and arm strength to be a great Met for a long time.
The current concerns with Baty relate to his defense and learning how to take at bats. Both points will be obvious keys to watch with Baty this spring.
Earlier today, Keith Law of The Athletic shared his Top 100 Prospects List for 2023. A total of five Mets made the list. Francisco Alvarez was ranked seventh, Baty placed 31st, Kevin Parada was 44th, Alex Ramirez came in 68th, and Ronny Mauricio was 87th. With Baty, in particular, Law shared some interesting thoughts on how the Mets should approach his roster status for 2023.
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Should the Mets have Brett Baty gaining experience in the major or minor leagues?
When discussing Baty as his 31st-best prospect on the list, Law shared the following on where the Mets should have him this upcoming year.
“The Mets should just give him 500 at bats this year, as there’s nothing left for him to learn in the minors, and he’s by far their best option there (at third base). He has the raw power for 30 homers, but I think he’ll be more 40 doubles/20 homers with OBPs well above .350.”
https://theathletic.com/4132943/2023/01/30/top-100-mlb-prospects-2023-keith-law/
Some interesting analysis from Law there. Giving Baty 500 at bats this year means he will be an everyday player for this club from the start. Essentially taking the job of Eduardo Escobar, Baty’s competition at third. Escobar recorded 495 at bats last year in 136 games.
As noted in the introduction, there is no denying the natural ability of Baty at the plate and how special he can be. Law mentioned the potential of Baty being a 30-home-run-a-year type of player, which he certainly can be with his size and power.
And while the upside of Baty at third base for this season is unquestionably greater than Escobar, one could fairly state that Baty could benefit from some more minor-league experience. Baty spent 2021 in Single and Double-A. In 2022, Baty played in 95 minor league games. Of those 95, 89 were in Double-A, and only six were in Triple-A before being called up to the Mets. Some could say his development was a bit rushed, essentially going from Double-A to the big leagues. Baty was dominant in Double-A but could potentially use some more reps in Triple-A before being an everyday player for the Mets.
Should Baty show some advancement with both his glove and approach at the plate in Port St. Lucie, though, he will give himself a strong chance of being with the Mets on Opening Day. The immediate improvement of Baty only increases the upside of this 2023 Mets baseball team pursuing a World Series title. The talent Baty possesses is there, now, he just has to gain experience with live reps both in the field and at the plate to allow his confidence to only grow, which will enable Baty to fulfill his potential with the Mets.