Throughout the regular season, Minor League Mondays will focus on the top prospects in the New York Mets’ farm system as we keep an eye on their development. A few of the team’s top prospects are taking the field right now with AAA Syracuse as they try to make a push to join the big club. The closest to a promotion is third baseman Brett Baty, who is back on the field with AAA Syracuse after missing some time with a strained thumb.
Baty almost made the team out of spring training but was controversially demoted to Syracuse at the end of camp with GM Billy Eppler saying he needed more mastery of the AAA level. The comments came as a bit of a surprise since bench coach Eric Chavez, a former major league third baseman for years in Oakland, indicated that Baty’s defense had improved to the point that it was no longer a negative. The Mets have used defense as a rationale to give their prospects more time in the minor leagues despite their bats looking major league ready, which has been a negative for players like Baty, who flashed big league potential at the plate during a brief cameo in August of 2022 before thumb surgery ended his season.
Baty is off to a strong start for Syracuse this season, hitting .333 with two home runs and five RBIs in 18 at-bats, and has hit the ball hard quite frequently. Mets’ fans have been impatiently waiting for Baty’s promotion and there appears to be a need at third base in the majors with Eduardo Escobar off to a very slow start, collecting just four hits in 32 at bats. Escobar is a popular clubhouse figure and has a strong track record of production, which may explain why the Mets have been willing to give him an opportunity to work his way out of the slump, but the overall lack of production in the bottom of the Mets’ lineup may force the team’s hand. The team also benched Escobar for a few games last week against right-handed pitching, which could hint at a plan to promote Baty in the future as at least a platoon candidate at third.
The thumb injury took some air out of Baty’s sails since the Mets will want to see that it isn’t bothering him at the AAA level before promoting him to the majors. The front office will also want to see if Baty can hold his own against left-handed pitching, which would allow them to play him nearly every day and use Escobar as a right-handed hitting designated hitter. The phrasing that Eppler used in terms of experience at the AAA level is vague enough that the Mets can call up Baty whenever they want, especially since another week in the minor leagues would give them an extra year of team control for the third baseman, something that isn’t insignificant as owner Steve Cohen wants to eventually lower his free agent expenditures to occasional splurges instead of buying the whole roster.
The team’s success will also play a role in Baty’s timeline since the Mets have to demonstrate they can consistently beat teams besides the Miami Marlins over the coming weeks. If the offense continues to struggle and Escobar can’t get going, Baty will be in New York sooner rather than later. Either way, it would be surprising to get to June and not see Baty up at the major league level as long as he is healthy and productive.
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