Photo by Allen Greene Photography
Underscoring what has become a strong position within the organization, Mets farmhand Brett Baty was named the sixth-best third base prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, while Mark Vientos was listed under the “keep an eye on” section.
Last week, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez was listed at number five among minor league backstops.
The third base top ten is headlined by Phillies prospect and 2018 third overall pick Alec Bohm. Baty is sandwiched in between the Rangers’ Josh Jung and the Red Sox Bobby Dalbec.
Baty was the Mets’ 12th-overall selection in 2019, becoming the first third baseman taken by the organization in the first round of the draft since David Wright in 2001.
Baty, 20, played the majority of his debut season with Kingsport, bookended by short stints in the Gulf Coast League and with the Brooklyn Cyclones. Though he ultimately finished with a .229/.364/.447 line in 228 total appearances, Baty found his stroke over his final 16 games in Kingsport, hitting .288 with 10 extra-base hits.
Pipeline provided the following scouting report:
Baty’s raw power was among the best in the 2019 Draft, the product of his bat speed, strength and lofty left-handed swing. He drives the ball with authority to all fields and already generates big league-caliber exit velocities, and scouts were especially impressed with the true opposite-field power he showed during his first pro exposure. More than just a slugger, Baty also employs a patient approach, does a good job controlling the zone and recognizes spin well enough for scouts to project him as an above-average hitter with 25-plus homer power.
Vientos, an honorable mention on the list, is coming off a season in which he was named the Mets minor league hitter of the year. At just 19 years old, the 2017 second-round pick hit .255 with 12 home runs in 454 plate appearances with the Columbia Fireflies.
