Mike's Mets - Brett Baty Should Be the Opening Day Third Baseman

 

By Mike Steffanos

Brett Baty has displayed a Major League-ready bat and a mature attitude this spring. He looks ready for the next step. Will the Mets let him take it?

Syracuse is an underrated city, at least when the lake-effect snow machine is turned off. There's a lot to do there. You'll find the famous university and the Erie Canal Museum in town. They have a zoo that currently is featuring twin baby elephants. There are a ton of nearby outdoor recreation spots if you're so inclined. And, best of all, there is baseball to be watched. The Triple-A Syracuse Mets will open their season in a mere couple of weeks.

I can almost guarantee you that some young Mets stars of the future, like Francisco Álvarez and Ronny Mauricio, will be on their roster, at least for the beginning of the season. What's becoming increasingly clear is that young third base prospect Brett Baty shouldn't be there — unless he's a history buff and wants to spend a few hours one day checking out that cool Erie Canal Museum.

This is not to say that Baty won't join Álvarez, Mauricio, and perhaps Mark Vientos in the "Salt City" this spring. Just that he shouldn't. You can make a more or less convincing case for the other kids to start the year there. Francisco Álvarez clearly has some work to do defensively. The demands of his position in MLB are high. Álvarez needs to get better at catching if he is to become the primary backstop for the Mets. He would undoubtedly benefit from catching almost every day in Syracuse. It's become clear that Francisco will not break camp with the Mets.

Mauricio has really upped his prospect profile with his dominant showing in the Dominican Winter League and his excellent camp. But the scouting report on Ronny is that he has trouble recognizing spin and too often gets himself out with poor plate discipline. He'll face pitchers who can spin up solid breaking balls in Triple-A. Ronny Mauricio's power is impressive, but he only gets to that power if he can learn to consistently get a pitch to hit rather than harmlessly waving at pitchers' pitches.

Mark Vientos presents a different issue. At age 23 and with over 100 games played in Triple-A, it's debatable whether Vientos really needs more time in Syracuse. Mark is also enjoying a solid camp, slashing .268/.286/.488 with 3 doubles and a pair of homers. But he has only 1 BB and 17 Ks in 44 ABs. That translates to 200 strikeouts over 500 ABs, which is a lot of swing-and-miss. Mark has drawn his share of walks in the minors, so the single walk this spring seems like a fluke, but he's always struck out a lot, so that's a concern.

But the biggest worry with Mark Vientos — assuming the Mets believe in his power bat — is whether they can get him enough playing time if they give him a bench role in the majors. The ABs available as the righty part of a DH platoon won't cut it for a young kid trying to break into the majors. My personal belief is that Vientos would be better served if the Mets traded him to a club that could give him reps at 1B, too. Developing kids need to play, not sit.

Then there is Bretty Baty. Like Álvarez, Brett is clearly not a finished product defensively. But Baty's offensive approach really does look ready for prime time. He doesn't get himself out. His decisions at what to swing at look sound, and he'll take a walk. This is a guy who really looks like a developing middle-of-the-order bat. The Mets could clearly use another of those.

Of course. Brett Baty did struggle a bit last year in his limited cameo in New York before the thumb injury. He's likely to have some ups and downs offensively as he figures out Major League pitching. He won't be hitting in the middle of an MLB lineup right away. But Brett really doesn't look offensively like someone who would greatly benefit from more Triple-A experience.

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