Heading into the 2023 season, and really since the time the New York Mets made him the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft, there were concerns about whether Brett Baty could handle the third base position. If anyone knows what that is like, it is current Mets bench coach Eric Chavez.
Now, that seems like an odd statement. After all, Chavez was a six time Gold Glover and was renown for his defense during his playing days. However, as Chavez told Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post, that was not always the case with scouts having the same concerns about him as a young player.
Chavez went through the process and work ethic needed to become that great of a fielder. In many ways, he sees Baty displaying that type of work ethic, and he has been reaching out to Baty throughout the winter and spring to talk with about the position.
We have seen reports of that work ethic. As earlier reported, Baty has worked with Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Chapman to improve his defense. Apparently, he has also been talking with Chavez, who sees a lot of him in Baty.
In terms of his defense and trying to establish himself, Chavez said of Baty, “I see that same determination in him. It’s, ‘I’m going to work extremely hard regardless of what people say, and I’m going to prove everybody wrong.” Judging from some of his defense this spring, Baty has made significant strides and is starting to make people believers.
This is some play by Brett Baty.
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) March 8, 2023
For Baty, he believes he needs to improve his “depth perception” and just seeing the ball from the bat into the mitt. For Chavez, he believes Baty just needs repetitions and belief in himself saying:
He just needs to convince himself that he can play third base. We can do all the talking and work with him. But unless you’ve convinced yourself as a player,” Chavez said, trailing off. “I was trying to tell him: It took me a really long time. I made tons of errors in the minor leagues. All the way into my third year, there were times where I didn’t want the ball hit to me — that was at the major league level.
It’s obvious Chavez believes in Baty with the way he talks about him and to him. Fortunately, that is also obvious to Baty, who has looked much better at third this spring than we have perhaps ever seen him.
With each game, Baty is making the case he is the Mets third baseman of the future, and that future is coming closer and closer. If Chavez is any judge, Baty is doing all the right things to be that, and in the end, he may very well be far better defensively than anyone ever would’ve expected him to be.
