NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Brett Baty almost became an afterthought as he slipped down the New York Mets’ depth chart.
Think again.
A once-prized prospect who had lost his luster, Baty is finally beginning to break out in the big leagues. The 25-year-old infielder continued a surprising resurgence Tuesday night with a tiebreaking shot in the seventh inning that sent New York to
鈥淚鈥檝e always thought I would be capable of doing whatever I wanted to accomplish in this game,鈥 Baty said. 鈥淚鈥檓 having some success right now and it’s nice.鈥
Recalled from the minors last week, Baty is batting .333 (13 for 39) with five homers and eight extra-base hits in his last 12 starts for the Mets.
鈥淐onfidence. Guy that knows he belongs in the big leagues. And just having fun. He’s preparing, he鈥檚 going out there, keeping it simple, getting good pitches to hit and just not overthinking it,鈥 manager Carlos Mendoza said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just glad that he鈥檚 finally settling in and getting comfortable at this level.鈥
Selected 12th overall by the Mets in the 2019 amateur draft, Baty squandered a couple of opportunities to hold down the everyday job at third base as he struggled at the plate the past two years. He was demoted to the minors in 2024 and spent much of the season with Triple-A Syracuse.
Meanwhile, buddy Mark Vientos took hold of the hot corner by hitting .266 with 27 homers, 71 RBIs and an .837 OPS last year 鈥 and then having a huge postseason.
Baty started playing some second base in the minors to provide versatility, and he made New York’s opening-day roster this year in a part-time bench role, with second baseman and outfielder Jeff McNeil on the injured list. But when McNeil returned April 24, it was back to Syracuse for Baty.
Mendoza, however, said he told Baty he was being sent down only because of the roster crunch 鈥 not because he didn’t perform well. And that message seems to have made a difference.
鈥淚 feel like every young player, when they first come up to the big leagues, they鈥檙e always looking to impress or trying to do a little too much, trying to have success or results out of the gate,鈥 Mendoza said. 鈥淎nd sometimes it takes a lot longer for guys. This guy performed at the minor league level and then for some reason it took some time for him to get comfortable here.鈥
It wasn’t long before Baty was back in New York. He got recalled May 5 when fellow left-handed hitter Jesse Winker went on the injured list 鈥 and Baty has taken off since.
鈥淚 think everybody鈥檚 journey in this game is different and I鈥檓 thankful for every single part of mine, for sure,” he said.
With two outs in the seventh Tuesday night, Baty lined a 1-1 changeup from Pirates starter Mitch Keller the other way and off the railing just above the left-field wall at Citi Field to give the Mets a 2-1 lead.
鈥淚 thought it was a line drive maybe over the left fielder鈥檚 head,” Mendoza said. 鈥淛ust kept on going. Pretty impressive. Big league power right there.鈥
It was Baty’s fifth major league home run this season and fourth in his last four games with a plate appearance. He’s raised his batting average to .239 with a productive .791 OPS in 25 games.
鈥淚 just feel like right now, I鈥檓 kind of focused on driving the pitch that I want to drive instead of just swinging at strikes,鈥 said Baty, who started at second base and shifted to third for defense in the ninth.
His teammates on the first-place Mets (28-15) have taken notice, too.
鈥淚 love having him on the team. I think he looks very confident up there, and he has the potential and the power to hit it out of the ballpark at any part of the ballpark,鈥 Mets pitcher Kodai Senga said through a translator. 鈥淚f he was an opposing hitter, I think any pitcher would not like to face him.鈥
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