The New York Mets have called up top prospect Brett Baty. He's in the lineup, hitting eighth and playing third base Wednesday night against the Braves in Atlanta.
Baty, 22 years of age and the No. 12 overall pick in 2019, has excelled this season. In 95 games at the Double- and Triple-A levels in 2022, he's put up a slash line of .315/.410/.533 with 19 home runs and 22 doubles in 420 plate appearances. He's been a primary third baseman this season, and he's also seen time in left field.
Baty is not the No. 1 prospect in the Mets' farm system (that distinction belongs to catcher Francisco Àlvarez), but coming into the 2022 season, our own R.J. Anderson ranked Baty as the No. 14 overall prospect in baseball. Here's his write-up:
Some evaluators in the industry expressed skepticism when the Mets drafted Baty 12th overall in 2019. Their criticism had less to do with him as a player and more to do with his age, as he was hurtling toward his 20th birthday despite being a high-schooler. Baty did well to quiet concerns in his first full pro season, batting .292/.382/.473 with 12 home runs and 22 doubles across High- and Double-A. Baty's boosters see a strong-bodied third baseman who could be a plus hitter. There are some areas of concern to keep in mind with him, however, as his strikeout (25.6 percent) and groundball (61.2 percent) rates at Double-A suggest he wasn't maximizing skill set, especially considering his well-above-average raw juice.
The Mets have struggled to get good production from third base this season, so Baty could get a chance to be the primary at that position down the stretch. Infielder Luis Guillorme landed on the injured list Monday, but the Mets declined to call up Baty initially to take his roster spot.
Whatever his role, Baty drops into the thick of a high-stakes race in the National League East. While the Mets at 75-42 are playoff locks, their lead over the Braves in the division is down to 3 1/2 games. The eventual NL East champion will almost certainly join the Los Angeles Dodgers in claiming the two first-round byes available in each league, so there's plenty of incentive to fend off Atlanta and for Atlanta to catch the Mets.
