Mets Minors: Brett Baty's moment is now
A last chance to stay in Queens
Let’s face facts, Brett Baty’s performance has been disappointing since he first reached the majors with great fanfare. In October of 2022 I projected that Baty could develop into a 30 home run player and bemoaned that the Mets had slightly blocked his ascension to the majors with Eduardo Escobar. Ultimately, the Mets mishandled the situation and when Baty got his shot, he badly blew it. He struck out a ton and just didn’t look like he could cut it as a major league regular.
Still, each time he was sent down to the minors, his hitting numbers would bounce back. In 2023 he had a measly .598 OPS in the majors but a fantastic 1.013 OPS in AAA. In 2024 his major league OPS was .633 but in Syracuse he managed a .854 for the year. Is there something about the majors that has eluded him? Clearly. What is that element? My guess is, it’s the fans.
New York is the city
that never sleeps but we are also known for having some opinionated and quick to sour fans. I remember how quickly a friend went from talking of David Wright as a hero to referring to him as a “Bum” as our former captain’s body betrayed him in his 30s. Brett Baty may have some anxiety caused by the temperamental fans of his team and the spotlight shone on him.
So why should we expect any more than he’s shown us in the past when he’s played in the majors? Well, there are a few differences between now and then which could help him. For one thing, he’s not being looked at as the savior of the franchise. The Mets have Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo. They aren’t looking for Baty to come in and suddenly be that 30 home run bat in the middle of their lineup. They are looking for him to fill in for the diminished performance of Jeff McNeil.
As you may recall, McNeil wasn’t great in 2023 or 2024 and with his injury Brett Baty has a chance to make it as a role-player in the bottom half of the Mets’ lineup. I’ve thought that Baty is the type of player who would succeed outside of Queens but in this lesser pressure role maybe he has one more shot to make that happen here after all.
What would success look like? I think the defense would have to be treading water but I think offensively, we’d be looking for his OPS to stay above .700 and to have him lengthen the Mets lineup behind the offensive core. My hope is that when McNeil returns, it’s to a true Utility role and that Baty can finally stick.
I don’t think a change of scenery will make Baty hit MLB pitching but I do think at 25, with Acuna on the roster and Mauricio waiting in the wings, this will be his last chance to show he can hit. I also don’t think he suffers from the NYC curse that has afflicted other players. Hoping he hits the ground running because without Alvarez in the lineup, the Mets need better production out of the back end of the lineup.
I think this is a good write up about what may be holding Baty back, at least from an observer standpoint. I’m not sure if I agree with it, but I do agree with the idea that NY might be daunting. I never got that vibe from Baty though, in the respect that he might not be able to handle it. Remember, Vientos (one of the “baby mets”) didn’t have the hottest of starts. I predicted in Reddit last year that I had a good feeling he was due. And he was - he had the swagger and personality to succeed here. Historically, we’ve always gravitated towards the hard working gritty quiet types. Like Edgardo Alfonzo or even a Jeff McNeil. Never the best players, but good players nonetheless.
Flushing has streets lined with the bodies of players who tried to make it big in MLB. Notice, the same pressures don’t come for someone like Aaron Judge in the Bronx. The Yankees don’t allow for the big name contracts to have “an adjustment year” to NY, even though their goal
Is to win a championship every year. Adjustment years are acceptable in Flushing. Because we’ve seen it happen. But why is it acceptable? My suspicion is probably what you’re getting at, not just the fans but the overall pressure it is to play on the Mets, not just NY specifically. They are perennially seen as underdogs. They haven’t won in a long time. Fans boo sometimes. Players need to get a grip and if they want applause for effort, they can play in Cincinnati. Because we will also celebrate you and take you in as our own.
However, I don’t think I’ve seen a lot of hostility towards Baty, rather I’ve seen fans give him more of a chance while he works on his stuff in the minors. Like you, I saw he seemed outmatched and a touch slower with ML pitching. Sooooo…. What’s being done with that? Is he not listening to coaching? Or is he just not cut out for it? My theory is that this spring should maybe get him another chance with the club especially taking his licks at 2B. Maybe with some confidence, his fortunes will change.