One of the things to watch coming into Mets camp was how hard third base prospect Brett Baty was going to push to be included on the Opening Day roster and the early answer is very.
Baty, 23, albeit in a small sample size, has been one of the best players on offense for the Mets through seven games. The left-handed hitter got his spring off to a good start with two hits in an intrasquad game and he hasn’t stopped since. After two more hits on Thursday, Baty is 6-for-12 with a home run, four RBIs, and a walk.
That brings us to the Mets’ veteran third baseman Eduardo Escobar. The 34-year-old is coming off an uneven first season with the Mets that saw him suffer through peaks and valleys offensively and a bad season defensively with -6 outs above average.
In the Mets’ 6-2 loss on Thursday, Escobar started at third base and then shifted to left field in the fifth inning. Using Starling Marte’s glove, Escobar played two innings in left and didn’t have any balls hit his way. Earlier this week, Mets’ manager Buck Showalter told reporters that Escobar might see time in left field during camp because Team Venezuela might use him out there during the World Baseball Classic. Escobar does have 43 big league games of experience in left field, but none since 2017 with the Twins. In fact, Escobar is one of the few active players that has played all nine positions.
Now, the Mets can certainly say Team Venezuela is the only reason Escobar is out in left field. However, big league teams aren’t in the habit of going out of their way to accommodate other teams/organizations without a benefit to them. In fact, it’s much more common to see it the other way around, like Team Puerto Rico understanding that the Mets don’t want star closer Edwin Diaz pitching back-to-back games yet.
The Mets’ outfield depth outside of Mark Canha, Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, and Tommy Pham is a group of veteran players with limited major-league success and no top-30 prospects in the upper minors. Getting Escobar back in left field might help Venezuela later this month, though it could benefit the Mets in the long run during the 2023 season giving Showalter more flexibility with the roster.
