The Mack Report (Baty, Zeigler, Parada, "Top 10 Players Right Now", McNeil, Allan)

The Athletic - Keith Law

31. Brett Baty, 3B, New York Mets

Age: 23 | 6-3 | 210 pounds

Bats: Left | Throws: Right

Drafted: No. 12 in 2019

Last year’s ranking: 41

Baty was nearly out of a job a few weeks ago, so I imagine he was the one person in the Mets organization happy when the Carlos Correa signing fell through. Baty is a strong hitter, topping out at 113 mph in his major-league stint last year and averaging over 91 mph on 30 batted balls (so yes, small sample size caveats apply). He returned to Double A to start 2022 after spending 40 games there to finish the prior year, and demolished the level, hitting .312/.406/.544 and cutting his ground-ball rate from 61 percent there in 2021 to 42.6 percent last year. He did backslide a little in the majors, so there’s some swing maintenance for the Mets to do so he stays rotational enough to get the ball in the air. Baty is big for third baseman but a solid athlete who’s worked hard on his defense, which is more than just playable there, but I don’t know if he’d be as good in an outfield corner, so staying at third is by far his best chance to be an above-average regular. 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. He has the raw power for 30 homers, but I think he’ll be more 40 doubles/20 homers with OBPs well above .350. 

                        CBS - 2. Brett Baty, 3B (2023 seasonal age: 23)

Baty, the 12th pick in the 2019 draft, reached the majors for the first time last season, but his stay was short-lived. He appeared in just 11 games before undergoing thumb surgery that ended his campaign in late August. Baty's path back to the Mets big-league lineup is more complicated now that Carlos Correa is in tow, but he's a potential above-average hitter who lifted the ball and slugged more during his stay last season in Double-A. In other words, he should find a lineup welcoming to his talents, be it in New York or elsewhere. 

                        1-25-23 - The Athletic

Before his two quick promotions, Brett Baty, 23, destroyed Double-A pitching, and scouts liked how he tapped into more power without sacrificing consistent contact. So far in 2023, prospect publications have ranked him inside the top 20 overall. He should soon graduate from such lists. 

Much like how Narváez and Nido are in front of Álvarez at catcher, Eduardo Escobar occupies third base ahead of Baty. For now, anyway. Escobar provides stability as a veteran presence, but even if he opens the season as the Mets’ third baseman, rival evaluators forecast at least a platoon situation with Baty at some point in 2023. Baty bats from the left side, and although Escobar is a switch-hitter, he’s posted better numbers against lefties. Also, the Mets hold a club option on Escobar for 2024; by then Baty may have already proven himself capable of the full-time role. While Baty can play other positions like left field, Eppler said the Mets want him to focus just on third base, where he has room to grow defensively. 

            The Athletic - Why Mets prospect Brett Baty spent a critical winter working with Troy Tulowitzki

Ahead of what could be a critical 2023 season, Baty sought help to improve defensively at third base. He turned to a former star shortstop in Tulowitzki, who essentially gave Baty a no-nonsense master class on how to be a pro. It was exactly what he wanted. 

Over 13 years in the major leagues, Tulowitzki earned five All-Star appearances and captured two Gold Glove awards. But beyond those accolades, Tulowitzki’s credentials include being a first-round pick, something he shares in common with Baty. 

Baty’s big bat and large frame — 6-foot-3, 215 pounds — provide a strong foundation to build upon. 

“Third base, he still needs to work at it, but I think he’d be the first one to tell you that,” Tulowitzki said. “He needs to get better over there. But some people need to get better because they aren’t athletic enough or don’t have arm strength. He’s got all the tools. He just needs some reps.” 

Mack - this is a lot of Baty-news, but the most important  info comes from The Athletic in the last entry that Brett has been working his defensive ass off during the off-season with Tulo. We know this kid can hit at the major league level. The question mark is his defense on the hot corner. 

He needs to play there and it’s up to the Mets if he does in 2023. 

 

New York Mets Top 50 Prospects (2023)

https://www.prospects1500.com/nl-east/mets/new-york-mets-top-50-prospects-2023/?s=03 

10. Calvin Ziegler, RHP, 20, Single-A

Ziegler threw his first innings of his career in 2022 in St. Lucie where he had a 4.44 ERA in 16 starts. He held his opponents to a .166 average but had 35 walks in 46.2 innings. He was limited this year due to general arm soreness which isn’t a huge concern right now, but his high spin rates on his great pitch mix will continue to develop. Ziegler needs some command help if he wants to continue rising through the system. 

Mack - I really like Zeigler, though I was disappointed in his stat line in 2022. Let’s see what 2023 brings in Brooklyn.

 

CBS - 3. Kevin Parada, C (2023 seasonal age: 19)

The Mets spent the first of their two first-round picks last summer on Parada, a power-hitting backstop from Georgia Tech. Parada homered 26 times with the Yellow Jackets, all while posting some impressive exit velocity numbers and walking nearly as often as he struck out. If that continues, there's a possibility that he grows into a middle-of-the-order hitter. Parada's defense is a work in progress, but he's made enough gains for scouts to feel he'll remain playable behind the dish. Expect his stock to shoot up if and/or when the automated all-strike system makes its way to the major-league level. 

Mack - Don’t like the trashing of his defensive game here. I think his defensive game is much better than this. Yes, his throwing out runners at second does need vast improvement, but the rest of his defensive skills are par to slightly above par.

Current projections have him opening up this season for Brooklyn and ending the season in Binghamton. 

 

The Mets did well this month on the MLB Network's "Top 10 Players Right Now" list .

Eight players made their top 10 lists, at seven positions. 

The number one relief pitcher was Edwin Diaz while Justin Verlander (#2) and Max Scherzer (#4) made the starter list. In the outfield, Brandon Nimmo came in as the #4 centerfielder, while Starling Marte was voted #7 in right. Lastly, three infielders were named, Jeff McNeil as the #2 second baseman, Francisco Lindor as the #5 shortstop, and Pete Alonso as the number 5 first baseman. 

Hopefully, someday soon we make both the third base and catcher list. 

 

How Jeff McNeil’s path to an extension with the Mets began with a simple dinner - The Athletic -

The two then ventured into planning mode, scrambling to figure out how Eppler could meet with McNeil before the work stoppage was set to begin in just a few weeks. The original plan was for all three men to convene in Los Angeles. But because Longo and Eppler already had shared history, the agent made a suggestion to the GM: “Why don’t you just go to dinner with Jeff and you two talk?” 

So McNeil drove down from just north of Santa Barbara. Eppler drove up from southern Orange County. They met near LAX for dinner, making McNeil the first Mets player that Eppler sat down with as the new GM. 

Sitting across the table, Eppler outlined the Mets’ expectations for McNeil and emphasized that whatever transpired during his 2021 season did not matter. That year, McNeil hit .251/.319/.360 with seven home runs in 426 plate appearances. It was a stark dropoff from his previous two campaigns, when he slashed .316/.384/.511 through 776 plate appearances. Still, Eppler told McNeil that his skill set was “extremely valuable for this organization.” 

Mack - See? Sometimes all it takes is a simple gesture like breaking bread. 

This should silent some of the “Fire Eppler” people on Twitter. 

 

UPDATE: We just wrote about pitching prospect Matt Allan and his progress after three tough years. Well, the Mets announced on Saturday that Allan was returned to the operating table in January for a “UCL revision”. That’s another TJS and basically puts him on the shelf for the 2023 season. 

The Mets top pitching prospect hasn’t thrown a pitch since 2020 and has only 10.1 pro innings under his belt. Amazingly he will be Rule 5 eligibly before his first full season. 

We wish him well but it’s hard to believe he will return at the level he was projected when he was drafted.