First base is a tough position to break through in the New York Mets organization when you consider who is at the Major League level (Pete Alonso) and at Triple-A (Mark Vientos). However, that should not dismiss the start to the season that JT Schwartz is having for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
The fourth-round pick out of UCLA in 2021 has a slash line of .256/.347/.789 with a home run and 13 RBIs. His 13 RBIs are the most of any player in the Eastern League. In Wednesday’s win over Hartford, Schwartz got the scoring started with a three-run home run. So far in the Hartford series, he is 5-for-12 with a double, a home run, and six RBIs.
https://twitter.com/RumblePoniesBB/status/1648871022605529088
Heading into the season, Schwartz was not a Top 30 prospect in the Mets system on Mets Minors and a lot of the reasoning came from not having much power numbers at the professional level. Here is what David Crocco had to say about Schwartz back in March:
“Schwartz typically has a solid batting approach. He keeps things simple, makes excellent contact, and has reasonably good walk rates of 11.6%. He has yet to adequately develop the power numbers to profile as a major league first baseman. Over 482 professional at-bats, he has hit just six home runs.”
While the power numbers have not been there, there is something to be said about a player that just makes consistent contact and can work the count. In the first 10 games this season, the 23-year-old left-hander has seen about 4.5 pitches per plate appearances and has had a walk rate of 10.2% according to FanGraphs.
JT Schwartz drove in three runs on a pair of singles last night for @RumblePoniesBB. pic.twitter.com/EyUmMi3s4i
— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) April 19, 2023
When Schwartz is making contact, it’s usually for extra bases. Out of his 11 hits, six of them have been for extra bases with a team leading five doubles.
In the early stages of the year, he is getting the ball more in the air as evident by his fly ball percentage (39.4% according to FanGraphs).
Last year at High-A Brooklyn, Schwartz showed some good things in his first full professional season. He had a slash line of .273/.356/.400 with 6 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 46 walks.
He led the Cyclones in hits (109), was second in RBIs and third in walks. While he did have the fourth-most strikeouts (89), he was able to be a consistent part of that batting order.
The problem for Schwartz is that first base is known as a power position. When he was at UCLA, he had eight home runs in 44 games during his redshirt sophomore season (third on the team), and he had the best slugging percentage (.628) and OPS (1.142) of any player on the roster in 2021. The power is there to a degree, but it’s tough to teach a consistent approach (.514 OBP) to go with those numbers.
During his year with the Cyclones, Schwartz did talk about the swing change that he made. In an interview with WFUV, he said the adjustment to his swing was more toward the competition in the South Atlantic League and trying to find more bat speed by making the swing level more compact.
Having a good start at an upper level of the farm system is not something that should be ignored, especially when it is Schwartz’s first taste of pro ball. If the power starts to come together, it could be a fun year in upstate New York for him.
