Photo by Richard Nelson
With Carlos Correa returning to the Minnesota Twins, the question for the New York Mets is what they should do at third base. Eduardo Escobar was the 2022 Opening Day third baseman, was shifted to a platoon with Luis Guillorme, and he seemed to seize the job again in September. Obviously, the Mets believe they could upgrade over him, hence Correa.
Very briefly during the season, it did seem as if Brett Baty was going to supplant Escobar. In fact, if not for a UCL tear in his right thumb, Baty might have done just that. It should be interesting to see when or if Baty is going to get another chance to claim the job at the Major League level.
As oft noted, the issue with Baty isn’t going to be his bat even with the ground ball rates. In the end, it appears the question is the glove. Much like we once heard with Michael Conforto when hew as drafted, the bat is ready but the defense isn’t. However, as we learned with Conforto, that was predicated on draft reports and did not quite follow the player’s progression in the minors.
In his mailbag for MLB Pipeline, Jim Callis was asked about Baty’s defense. Callis has been impressed with Baty’s improvement and believes Baty should be in a position to take the third base job in 2023 saying:
When he was a Texas high schooler, there were questions about whether he’d be agile enough to remain at third base or outgrow the position. He has answered them by working to become a capable defender at the hot corner, where his strong arm is his best asset and his range is decent.
Baty won’t win any Gold Gloves at third base, but he’s can play there for a while. Among Mets prospects who could wind up at the hot corner, he’s a lesser defender than Ronny Mauricio but better than Mark Vientos. New York should give him its third-base job at some point in 2023 because he’d offer more offense and at least as much defense as 34-year-old incumbent Eduardo Escobar.
Escobar’s defense is part of the equation when it comes to Baty. As noted by MMN‘s Michael Mayer, Escobar posted a -11 DRS, -6 OAA, and -4.5 FRAA at third in 2022. Mayer also pointed out this followed a down year in 2021 for the 34 year old.
For the Mets, they are obviously looking to add some more offense to the lineup. Last year, they thought Baty could provide that, and there is every chance he could do that in 2023. As we see with the numbers and the scouting report, to the surprise of many, Baty may also improve the Mets infield defense.
