rewrite this title What rival scouts think of Mets’ Brett Baty ahead of make-or-break season

New York Mets infield prospect Brett Baty should receive opportunities to impress at the big-league level this spring with second baseman Jeff McNeil set to miss the start of the regular season because of a low-grade oblique strain.

For a piece published Sunday, Will Sammon of The Athletic detailed how adjustments Baty made this offseason “intrigue rival scouts” ahead of what likely will be a make-or-break campaign regarding the 25-year-old’s tenure with the Mets. 

“From a mechanics standpoint,” Sammon explained, “Baty worked on being more athletic in the batter’s box (he’s moving his front foot a bit more to create pre-pitch momentum), maintaining his posture and landing his stride so that he wasn’t diving over the plate. Perhaps most notably, Baty is finishing with two hands on the bat. Generally, [private hitting coach and former minor-league infielder Aaron Capista] said, following through with both hands keeps the barrel of the bat through the strike zone longer.”

Capista seems to have brought out the best of Baty. According to Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News, Baty ended Sunday batting .347 with three home runs, six doubles and a triple in spring training action. To compare, he hit .215 with 15 homers and 55 RBI across the first 169 MLB games of his career. 

With that said, the perception exists that Baty is a “Quadruple-A” player who is capable of routinely impressing against Triple-A pitching but who can’t match such performances at the highest level. Sammon noted that Baty swinging “more aggressively at strikes early in counts” and “playing more free” at third base and second base has some scouts wondering if he is about to enjoy a breakout season. 

Baty becoming a legitimate big-league hitter could impact the Mets’ plans for beyond 2025, as such a scenario would allow the club to consider moving Mark Vientos from third base to first if slugger Pete Alonso opts out of his contract and becomes a free agent this coming fall. For a piece published on Monday morning, ESPN’s Jorge Castillo shared that the Mets “are expected to pursue” Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. if Alonso opts out and Guerrero tests the open market. 

Perhaps Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns would view Guerrero as surplus to requirements if Baty looks like a revelation for much of the 2025 season.