In our last “Views From the Field”, FH Freeway took a look at Mets RHP Matthew Allan. Today we look at another Mets prospect in third baseman and 2019 1st Round Pick Brett Baty.

Brett Baty

Baty, a third baseman from Lake Travis, Texas, was arguably the top third baseman available in this past year’s draft. Baty was lauded for his loud tools and body frame, from his explosive arm (could hit the low 90’s with his fastball), large 6’3” frame, and the ability to make consistent hard contact. And many coaches who faced Baty in Texas said that he was one of the best, if not, the best hitter they had ever seen. Given all that, it seemed that he was a lock to be selected in the 1st Round. However, there was one problem with Baty, and that had to do with his birth date.

Baty was born on November 13, 1999 in a draft year where many of the top high school players available were born in 2000 or 2001. In fact, Mark Vientos, the Mets 2nd round pick in 2017, was actually born almost a month later than Baty (Vientos was born on December 11, 1999). Because of that late birth date, some scouts and teams were a bit apprehensive on taking Baty in the 1st Round just because he was older than the players he was facing in high school.

But that didn’t stop the Mets from taking the University of Texas recruit, as they picked Baty with the 12th pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. The selection made Baty the first third baseman to be selected in the 1st Round since David Wright in 2001. Baty, the 17th best player in the 2019 Draft according to MLB.com, was given an under-slot bonus of $3.9M ($47K less than the $4.3M slot).

After signing, Baty was assigned to the Gulf Coast League but he wasn’t there long. Baty spent only five games, recording seven hits, one home run, eight RBI’s and has a slash line of .350/.480/.650. After his brief stay in the GCL, Baty was assigned to Kingsport, where he spent the majority of his season. Baty did not have as great of a time in the Appalachian League, as he hit only .222 in 42 games with the K-Mets. However, there were promising stats, as he had a .215 ISO, .775 OPS, and did walk 24 times.

After the Appalachian League season, Baty was promoted to his third professional team, as he was moved up to the Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League. Baty played seven games with the Cyclones, three of which were in the NYPL Playoffs. We got to see two of those games, and this is what we thought about Brett Baty.

Tools

The most impressive part of Baty’s game is his bat speed. Scouts loved his bat speed, and lauded at how quickly Baty can turn on the ball. And when we saw Baty in person, we could see why. It’s arguably the loudest part of his game, and given that and his strong frame, he’s has a good chance of being an impressive power hitter once he puts it all together.

As for the hit tool, he should project to be either an above-average hitter. As a high school player, Baty demonstrated a strong ability to not only hit for power but also make consistent contact. Baty also has a great eye, but he’ll have his fair share of swing and misses. Defensively, Baty doesn’t look like the type of player who could stick long-term at third base. Despite that, he has a good shot to remain there for the time being, as he is agile enough to move around at the position, and his arm is a major asset. Still, because he may add a few more pounds to his frame, a move to first base or a corner outfield long-term can’t be ruled out.

Here are FH Freeway‘s future grades for Brett Baty:

• Hit – 50
• Power – 60
• Run – 40
• Arm – 60
• Field – 55
• Overall – 55

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