The beginning of the 2025 season represented a massive opportunity for Brett Baty. With Jeff McNeil starting the year on the injured list and the former Mets No. 1 prospect having a fantastic spring training, an opening at second base presented itself. Unfortunately, he has not taken advantage of that. At least yet. That begs the question, can Baty rewrite his story with the franchise, or is it too late?
Through 21 plate appearances, he is slashing .095/.095/.143, receiving four starts over the team’s first nine games. He has two hits, including a double back on March 31 against the Miami Marlins. Small sample size yes but many of the concerns from his previous big league experience remain. Baty has already struck out eight times, giving him a 38.1 percent strikeout rate.
Another concern has been his inability to get the ball in the air. In spring training, it seemed as if Baty had solved that issue. Whatever worked for him then has not translated to the games that count. For his career, Baty has a 21.4 percent flyball rate. That is down to 15.4 percent so far this season. Has he had some good at-bats? Most definitely. But on the whole, the consistency has yet to showcase itself.
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While the numbers tell one story, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has a different perspective on Baty’s start to the season. “What we’re looking at here is the approach, the process [and] the quality of the at-bat. He continues to have quality at-bats. It’s a result-oriented game, but if he hits the ball hard, gets the guy over, walks and controls the strike zone, he’ll get there,” he said about the infielder.
Can Baty turn a corner offensively and become a valuable lineup piece? Sure, but the odds are stacked against him. When McNeil is ready to return from his oblique injury, someone will have to be optioned. The likeliest to go are Luisangel Acuña or Baty. The Mets could opt to keep Acuña because of the speed and defense he can provide. In addition to that, he also offers a right-handed bat to platoon with McNeil if needed. While Acuña hasn’t swung the bat well either (slashing .143/.200/.214 in 15 plate appearances), those qualities may give him the upper hand over Baty.
The next few days and weeks are massive for the newly-adjusted second baseman. If he can limit the strikeouts, get the ball in the air and start picking up hits and runs batted in, keeping him on the roster over Acuña could become a real conversation. If not, it will become more and more likely that Baty will be sent back to Triple-A Syracuse as the team looks to move him ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
