Brett Baty, 3B

HT: 6’3” WT: 210 Date of Birth: 11/13/1999 (19)
School: Lake Travis High School (Texas)
Bats/Throws: L/R

Stats: Senior Year – .608/.737/1.319, 19 HR, 50 RBI, 46 BB/9 K, 1.04 ERA

Background

Every mock draft had the Mets linked to college players, specifically pitchers. The Mets were scouting most of them but even with three out of the four guys they were heavily linked to, they still took Brett Baty. Baty is a high school third baseman who posted some video game numbers this past season. He hit .600 with 19 homers and pitched pretty well too.

Baty is a little old for high school which does add a little bit of caution when looking at his production and his batted ball profile. The Mets have seemed willing to take a chance on people who’s hit tools may be questionable. Jarred Kelenic played travel ball against lesser competition, which made scouts question his hit tool. In hindsight, his hit tool is very high.

The Mets point man on the MLB drafts for the last several years has been Tommy Tanous. Regarding Baty, he said, “He was, for us, the most advanced high school bat on the board.” Tanous also mentioned that the team is confident that they will sign Baty.

Scouting

His raw power is off the charts. Baseball America said, “One of the best pure hitters in the draft class, Baty brings 70-grade raw power to the table with impressive strength and plus bat speed. He also has an advanced approach at the plate and a feel for putting the barrel on the ball. In every batting practice Baty takes, his power stands out.”

MLB.com added. “Baty possesses some of the best raw power in the 2019 Draft, the product of bat speed, strength and loft in his left-handed swing. He’s also more of an advanced hitter than just a pure masher.”

Baty’s projection will depend heavily on what his hit tool will be in his professional career. If he can show that his success was not a result of age, then he will be one of the Mets top prospects in a matter of time.

Defensively, Baty is not the most fleet of foot. He might need to move off third base at some point but his arm is too good to play first base. Perhaps the corner outfield is where he will need to be but it is far too early to worry about his defensive position.

Development

Baty will begin his professional career in a short season affiliate but expect him to begin the 2020 season in Columbia. The Mets have shown a tendency to be aggressive with their prospects as of late and with Baty, he’s much older than most of them.

The slot value for Baty is 4,366,400. Considering Baty went off the board earlier than most expected and how the Mets went about the rest of their draft, he will likely go under slot.

Taking Baty was a solid idea for the Mets. They needed a big draft to re-build their farm system. By taking Baty, they gave themselves some more flexibility for rounds two and three while also getting a player with a high ceiling in Baty.