Prospect Spotlight: Brett Baty

Brett Baty is another young Texan who earned a spring training invite from his MLB team. The 21 year-old third baseman, a 2019 1st round pick by the New York Mets, is not likely to make the Mets this year, however, he’s already shown the team that he is prepared for the fast track. Baty has just one season of professional baseball under his belt, but that was enough for the Mets to give him some ABs in Florida.

Baty, the Mets #3 prospect and MLB’s #94, was born in Round Rock, Texas, and was a standout at Austin’s Lake Travis High School. He committed to the University of Texas, but chose instead to sign with the Mets when they picked him 12th overall. Such is the depth of talent in Texas college and high schools that as gifted a player as Baty is, four other Texas ballplayers were picked ahead of him in that draft. 

After the 2019 draft, Baty went to the Rookie League Gulf Coast Mets - a normal assignment for a high school draftee. After only 5 games though, he was moving up. He was hitting .350 with a .480 OBP, and one home run, and the Mets bumped him up to the full season Kingsport Mets - still a rookie league, but with better competition. Baty didn’t find Appalachian League pitching as easy to solve; in 42 games at Kingsport, he hit .222 with a .339 OBP. He found more power there, belting 6 homers to go with 12 doubles and 2 triples. Late in the season, Baty moved up to Brooklyn in the Short-Season A New York-Penn League, where in 4 games he hit  200, giving him an overall .234 for the year in 51 games and 188 ABs.

Baty spent time last summer with the Mets alternate training site, signaling early on that he has the talent to move up quickly. He will probably start the 2021 season at Low-A St. Lucie, or possibly back with the Brooklyn Cyclones, now a High-A affiliate. 

Wherever this talented infielder plays this summer, he’s going to be fun to watch.

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