All winter, we have read stories about the work Brett Baty has put in during the offseason. We’ve also heard how he’s the New York Mets best option at third base.
Seeing how Eduardo Escobar is a very respected veteran and how he finished the 2022 season, Baty needs to have a great spring to get that job. As noted, Baty spent all offseason positioning himself to do that, and he hit a blast in his first at-bat this spring:
He’s certainly off to a hot start. In the intrasquad game, he had a single and a double.
In the spring opener, he had a strong day at the plate going 2-for-2 with that homer, a walk, and two RBI. This is exactly what he needs to do to try to win that third base job.
After the game, Baty said, “I feel good, I’m seeing it well, and I feel like my defense is there too. I feel like my body is handling it well right now, so I feel great.”
The defense is another issue for Baty, and it may be what determines whether or not he makes the Opening Day roster. On that front, it was not a great day.
Baty misplayed a David Hensley hard hit grounder into an error. It’s the type of play he needs to make if he wants the job out of spring.
It’s also one of the reasons he’s put in the work. As previously noted on MMN, he worked with Troy Tulowitzki this offseason. He also reporter early to spring training to with with Joey Cora.
Mets fans are understandably excited over Baty’s start even with the error. That said, it’s only been two days where a lot can still happen.
This is the start Baty needed. Now, it’s time to continue putting together good at-bats and begin making all of the routine plays.
