Mets 2024 Positional Outlook: Third Base

We’ve reached the hot corner in our positional outlook, which is maybe the most complicated position on the Mets roster. From a pair of 24-year-olds looking to stick in the bigs and some other interesting bats on the horizon, here’s how it all shakes out.

Big League Starter

Brett Baty

Age: 24 (11/13/1999)
Contract: Pre-Arb Eligible
Roster Status: 40-Man Roster
MiLB Options: 2

2024 Preview

Saying 2024 is an important year for Brett Baty would be an understatement. A former Top 25 prospect in baseball, Baty was handed the keys to the everyday third base job not long into the 2023 season, and it … didn’t go well. He made 93 starts—69 more than the next closest player—but struggled on both sides of the ball. 

In nearly 400 plate appearances, he hit just .212/.275/.323/.598 with nine home runs and 12 doubles. He was one of just five players in 2023 to have at least 350 at-bats with 21 or fewer extra-base hits, joining Tim Anderson, Tony Kemp, Jace Peterson and Brice Turang.

Baty was even sent down at one point in the second half of the season, spending most of August in Triple-A before coming back to the Mets for September. It didn’t help, and his .514 OPS in September was notably worse than his .598 OPS for the season.

His defense wasn’t much better, finishing in the 15th percentile in baseball in outs above average and putting up -5 defensive runs saved. He made 10 errors and had the worst fielding percentage on the Mets among non-pitchers. 

This is likely Baty’s last chance to seize a full-time job with the Mets. He might not even have gotten that chance with Ronny Mauricio around, but then he went down in winter ball. He’s still young enough where his minor league numbers (which are great) and prospect pedigree still mean something, and that’s what will likely earn him the start on Opening Day, but time is running out.

Baty needs to show something in 2024. If he doesn’t, and if he finishes another year with a sub-.600 OPS, the Mets could move on in 2025.

Big-League Depth

Mark Vientos

Age: 24 (12/11/1999)
Contract: Pre-Arb Eligible
Roster Status: 40-man roster
MiLB Options: 1

2024 Preview

If there’s one thing to be optimistic about with Mark Vientos, it’s that he hits the ball really, really hard. He was far from a qualified hitter last year, but his 92.5 mph average exit velocity and 51.0% hard-hit rate both would have ranked near the top of the league. Among Mets players with at least 20 plate appearances in 2023, his hard-hit rate was No. 1.

However, there’s a catch—his ground ball rate was also No. 1. It’s great if you hit the ball hard, but it doesn’t mean much if you hit the ball right into the ground. He was one of just four Mets hitters under the same criteria to have a GB/FB ratio over 1.0 (meaning he hits the ball on the ground more than he puts it in the air), joining Baty, Starling Marte and Tomás Nido.

His approach is also concerning. Vientos struck out 30.5% of the time in 2023, more than any Met who had over 100 plate appearances. He also doesn’t take the free pass, with his 4.3% walk rate also being the worst among Mets with at least 100 PAs. So yes, he hits the ball really hard, but when he does it’s usually on the ground. Combine that with not walking and striking out a ton, and it’s not the most exciting offensive profile.

His 2023 numbers weren’t great, hitting .211/.253/.367 with nine home runs in a little under 250 plate appearances. But Baty wasn’t good either, so there’s a real opening for playing time for Vientos. The two could form the traditional left-right platoon, especially since Baty has some pretty stark splits against left-handed pitching. Vientos, a righty, didn’t hit lefties particularly well either, but his splits aren’t nearly as lopsided. He probably spells Baty at third base whenever a lefty is on the mound and picks up some DH starts against right-hand pitching.

Similar to Baty, this is probably the last year Vientos has to claim a spot on the Mets roster for the long term. He was never a true top prospect either, so the Mets can probably move on from him easier than Baty if he struggles. 

Joey Wendle

There is one more thing about Vientos that complicates things: He’s not really a third baseman. He is, to put it kindly, well below-average fielding. There have been plenty of videos of him working on it this offseason, including getting to spring training very early, and that’s definitely a positive thing to see. That said, one offseason can’t solve what are many defensive deficiencies.

So, in steps Joey Wendle. Now, Wendle wasn’t great defensively either in 2023, but he was asked to play almost exclusively shortstop. He should fare better at third.

Offensively, he doesn’t bring much at this stage in his career. While he never had much pop, there was a time where Wendle at least brought a solid average and on-base percentage to the table. Last year though, in 112 games with the Marlins, they fell to .212 and .248 respectively.

A left-handed hitter like Baty, he doesn’t contribute to a platoon like Vientos does, so he’s likely more of a late-inning defensive replacement and spot starter.

Upper-Level Depth

Rylan Bannon

Age: 27 (4/27/1996)
Contract: Minor League
Roster Status: Non-Roster Invitee
MiLB Options: 0

2024 Preview

The Mets don’t have much in upper-minors depth at third base, but the person who most fits the bill is Rylan Bannon. A former 8th-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bannon has bounced around from organization to organization over the past couple years. He signed a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training with the Mets this winter.

In seven MLB games for three different teams, Bannon is 2-for-20 with two singles and a walk, playing mainly third but also some second. He has 298 career games at Triple-A and does have some success at that level, hitting .232/.344/.426, a .770 OPS. In 2023, he hit 18 home runs and posted an .810 OPS in 95 games in Triple-A for the Astros.

31-year-old Yolmer Sánchez is also in camp as a non-roster invitee. You might remember him from his three games and zero plate appearances with the Mets in 2022. No? You don’t remember the three times he was put in for a single inning on defense? Unbelievable.

He has much more of a track record than Bannon in the big leagues, even playing over 100 games in four different seasons for the White Sox. He’s never had a great bat with a career OPS of .654, but in his prime, he brought a strong glove at multiple spots on the infield. 

Zack Short is also an option, and probably first on the list to get a big league call-up if an infielder goes down, but he’s more middle-infield depth. That said, he does 176 career innings at third, so he can fill in if needed.

Coming Soon

Luke Ritter

Age: 27 (2/15/1997)
Contract: Minor League
Roster Status: Not on 40-man roster
MiLB Options: 3

A 7th-round pick by the Mets back in 2019, Luke Ritter has slowly made his way through the system. Through his first three seasons, he was fine but didn’t do much to raise any eyebrows, never posting an OPS above .747. Then, in 2023, he took off. In 107 games (43 at Double-A and 64 at Triple-A), Ritter hit .244/.372/.496, good for a .868 OPS. His 27 home runs led all Mets minor leaguers, and it was 12 more than his previous career high.

While mainly a second baseman, Ritter has a lot of experience at both corner infield spots as well. He made 23 starts and played 199 innings at third base in 2023, and has just under 700 innings at the hot corner in his minor league career.

Jeremiah Jackson is another option at third base. Acquired by the Mets from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Dominic Leone, Jackson spent the entire 2023 season at Double-A. In 119 games, he hit .252/.328/.450, a .778 OPS, with 22 home runs and 27 stolen bases. His most valuable trait might be his defensive versatility, picking up double-digit starts at shortstop, second base, third base, left field and center field over his minor league career. He’s definitely mainly an infielder, but he’s clearly a player who is comfortable anywhere.