Brett Baty and Mark Vientos came to spring training ready to force their way onto the Opening Day roster. Despite outstanding spring performances, both Baty and Vientos have been assigned to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the 2023 season.
Over 23 spring games, Baty has hit .325/460/.425 with a double, homer, and six RBI. He also shown some outstanding defense this spring flashing his big right arm.
Brett Baty with a nice snag at the corner to get the out at first pic.twitter.com/joY8a7hz8Y
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 19, 2023
Multiple outlets have said Baty is the Mets best option at third to start the year. Instead, the Mets seem poised to at least begin the year with the returning platoon of Eduardo Escobar and Luis Guillorme.
Mets GM Billy Eppler called it a tough decision saying, “The coaching staff and the front office staff had a pretty long meeting (on Saturday morning), we walked through a lot of different combinations, went around the room and the consensus of the room was that it was best to have him start in Triple-A.”
Part of the reason why Baty may begin his season in Triple-A has to do with games played. Eppler would note Nolan Arenado played over 400 minor league games after being drafted out of high school. From there, Arenado has become a superstar third baseman. So far, in his professional career, Baty has played 273.
Of course, a large part of that was due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season. Furthermore, Baty was called up last season.
Mets manager Buck Showalter said of Baty, “The future bodes well for him.” He also publicly supported the decision to have Baty begin the year in Triple-A. Of note, Howard Johnson, the former Mets great at third and mentor to David Wright, believes Baty’s time is coming and said, “I thought Baty looked like the real deal to me.”
Baty will be joined in Triple-A by Vientos. Entering spring, there did not seem as obvious a spot for Vientos on the roster. However, in his 23 games this spring, he did try to force the issue hitting .278/.310/.481 with five doubles, two homers, and 11 RBI.
Like Baty, he also surprised in the field. That was addressed by Eppler when discussing the demotion saying, “Mark had a good camp as well. He continued to improve defensively as well.”
Mark Vientos went 1-for-2 with a double and sac fly for the Mets on Saturday. Also made these two good plays at third base.
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) March 19, 2023
His 2-walk-to-19-strikeout ratio this spring is certainly concerning though.
pic.twitter.com/EZxnJbjCL3
While Baty seems to have a future at third, Vientos’ future with the Mets seems to be at DH. On that note, Daniel Vogelbach has really struggled this spring hitting .222/.231/.278 with two doubles. Of course, with a veteran like Vogelbach, spring numbers really mean nothing.
There is also Darin Ruf, who seems to be bothered by his arthritic wrist. When asked if the decisions on Baty and Vientos mean Ruf will make the roster, Eppler said, “We haven’t announced the Opening Day roster yet.“
While Baty and Vientos will undoubtedly be disappointed, former Met and current SNY analyst Todd Zeile said they had strong springs showing their ready. He also noted this is good for them as Showalter likes to lean on his veterans. Ulimately, he said, “It’s something that they shouldn’t be disappointed with.“
Overall, it does seem Baty and Vientos may soon be in the mix. With respect to the 2023 season, Eppler said of the pair, “They’re a phone call away. They don’t need something to happen at the Major League level. They have the type of talent where they can push their way up here.”
Ultimately, while fans are disappointed, it does seem like we will see them at some point during the season. If it is a matter of time, it would seem the beginning of June would be the cut off for another year of team control for Baty. For Vientos, it will likely be towards the end of May.
