Open any online thread these days and there’s been nearly a quantum shift in fan attitude towards much beleaguered infielder Brett Baty. To his credit he has shown defensive versatility playing in the outfield, 3rd base, 2nd base, 1st base and most recently at shortstop. Yes, he did finish the 2026 season strongly wit the bat but the overall numbers are still rightly aligned wit the mediocrity he’s shown consistently since his first arrival to the major leagues in 2022. The ending ledger gave him a .236 average with 11 HRs and 56 RBIs. For the people advocating more Baty, note that with this mediocre .236 average his lifetime mark is just .233.
Some folks who live on the good ship Optimism feel that a platoon of Jared Young and Brett Baty at first base is the best path forward. More realistic Mets aficionados would be quick to point out that there is no significant track record for Young who had what appears to be an outlier positive year in 2026 while Baty provided more of the same below average offense.
Others point out the lackluster output the Mets received from one of many David Stearns mistakes in the acquisition of Marcus Semien and his $26 million salary. For the season Semien provided just a .215 average along with 15 HRs and 55 RBIs while his once celebrated defensive skill seemed to decline significantly. Still owed $46 million between the 2027 and 2028 seasons, you’re not likely going to be able to move him in trade except for an equally bad contract. His release would mean a lot of Steven Cohen dollars flushed down the Stearns drain.
Thinking about Baty at 2B does not solve that problem. In fact, making Semien into the world’s most expensive bench player accomplishes very little offensively. However, Baty has one thing in his profile that many others do not. He still possesses a minor league option and could theoretically start the season in Syracuse due to roster crunch and minor league infielder ongoing development.
On the flip side, a guy who is out of minor league options is younger but too often injured Ronny Mauricio. In just 328 major league ABs Mauricio hit 11 HRs, drove in 27 and hit .232. What he’s shown is more power and more speed than Baty has but he’s never been given the same playing opportunities. Being a switch hitter he’s a bit more offensively versatile than is Baty and showcasing him early in the 2027 season lays the groundwork for a possible in-season trade. His end of season three home runs in two days certainly caught everyone’s eyes.
Behind him in the minors (and one in the majors) are four additional second base options. The minor league ones are the most exciting but in all cases there has not been a substantial amount of AAA experience for any of them.
At the top of the list is infielder Jefferson Rojas whose minor league stat sheet is fairly eye popping. Split between three minor league stops and two organizations Rojas finished the year hitting .274 with 27 HRs, 93 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. His 6 game tenure in Syracuse did not seem to intimidate him but it isn’t enough time to draw definitive conclusions. Starting him in AAA allows the Mets to see how he handles the advanced competition while the 2B issue plays itself out for the big club.
Second in this group is newcomer Emilien Pitre who while with the Mets hit a robust .375, finishing his combined 2026 season north of .300. He doesn’t have a lot of power with just 15 HRs over 949 minor league ABs but that was accompanied by 56 stolen bases. The lefty hitting infielder is a few years older than Rojas and played his final 26 games in Syracuse so he might be ready to make the jump sooner.
A little further down this middle infielder hierarchy is speedster Mitch Voit. He swiped 45 bases between A and AA this past season while hitting .273 with 13 HRs and driving in 59. He would seem well suited to continue his minor league progression with an eye towards a possible major league debut in 2028.
Finally there is still the question surrounding A.J. Ewing who also has logged significant minor league playing time at 2B. If the Mets were to insert another outfielder to accompany Juan Soto and Carson Benge then they would need to find a place for Ewing to play. Second base could be it.
8 comments:
A bunch of random thoughts here: I think it is time to end the Baty era. I expect him to be part of a trade for an SP. Interesting note that he has a minor league option, however. . I would prefer giving Mauricio a long look, provided he stays healthy. Don't fall in love with too many prospects. Rojas and Petrie are intriguing, but if trading them nets the Mets a guy like Detmers, then so be it. I'm bullish on Voit, but his BABIP in Double A does give me pause. Let's see what happens to him in AAA in '27. Time to swallow the $46M on Semien.
Questions to be sorted out. Dan makes good points.
Meanwhile Schlittler give the Bronx natives some dynamic winning playoff baseball.
And Sclittler was a SEVENTH ROUNDER in 2022.
Everything will make sense at the break:
1B AMICK
2B PITRE
SS LINDOR
3B ROJAS
Mack, what happens if Bichette is still here?
Then Bichette is the starting third baseman. PERIOD
It is a blessing to have such a talented crop of infielders one step away from MLB. Although they all look great, not everyone succeeds in making the jump. But with many of them, some will certainly succeed.
Baty/Young makes no sense as both are lefties. Neither inspires great confidence. Just happy people are not portraying Vientos as an answer to any question other than who should be DFA'd or released.
I've made it clear that from a talent and power point of view Mauricio was the best of the Baby Mets. No real feel for the game, however, and that is a big negative for me. I think the Mets can't really believe in Polanco at this point and really aren't counting on him. I hope not too much as that will prevent them from getting a real DH and a real complement to platoon with either Young or Baty.
My take is different than most. Young is sound, and solid and is just as he presents at age 31. Baty is likely a better fielder at 1B, and he has a correctible approach at the plate, but has yet to implement it. He needs to do what Benge did immediately upon seeing that he couldn't catch up to major league heat with his onger swing. He shortened it and still hit 20HRs. the simple fact is that the no 1 factor in distance is solid contact, which more than compensates for a miniscule loss in bat speed from a shorter swing. In fact, improve your mechanics to make it more efficient and the shorter swing in addition to improving barrel contact, can give you more time to wait on pitch and increase speed. That is a MUST for Baty.
Mauricio doesn't yet have a strategic approach at the plate and strikes out too often. Is he really a switch hitter? Way weaker from the Right side.
I don't know why people count Voits high BABIP ;against him. It is as likely a result of speed as it is luck. Even if you discount for luck, it is still a very positive sign.
I'm not giving up any of the speedy and promising infielders for Detmers. I would rather package Alvarez with Wenninger (who is out of options) with someone further down in the minors for Detmers and another player, either a quality reliever or a promising minor leaguer a few years away, preferably an outfielder or a pitcher.
Any new GM activity in Anaheim will be based on getting young position players to build around and competence and prospects. They are years away so they might be willing to take on reasonably high ceiling prospects way down on the farm right now.
Maybe Baty, Wenninger and two such prospects gets Detmers. I would like to save Alvarez for an add on to a trade for Semien.
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