Brett Baty made his spring debut on Saturday, but at a position Mets fans are not accustomed to seeing the young infielder.
With second and third base filled with the additions of Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette, Baty started at first base. It's the first time Baty has played the position in his professional career and he wasn't half bad. He made the plays he was supposed to and there weren't any misplays or errors on his part in the team's 3-2 loss to the Nationals.
"It was a fun challenge out there," Baty said about playing first. "No mistakes, but it didn’t look pretty either. We’ll get better over there for sure."
"I thought overall, it was a good day," Carlos Mendoza said of Baty's performance. "It was just good to see him out there in game action."
Over his four-year big league career, Baty has seen time at second and third, but this is a new challenge for him. The 26-year-old said he spent this offseason practicing multiple positions, but Baty admits no amount of practice can replace game action, and he was pleased with how he did Saturday.
"There’s just some things you never see in practice until you get out there and do it in a game," Baty said. "I was talking to [bench coach Kai Correa] and Mendy about some of the plays out there. I felt like I wanted to go get the ball, because that’s how I’ve always been. At third base, go get the ball, second base same thing. Some of them I wanted to go get, but I had to remember that Marcus was right behind me, so I had to get my butt to first base."
Baty says former teammate Pete Alonso was great at knowing exactly where the second baseman was and when to go for a ball. And while Baty fights the urge to think like a third baseman, Saturday was a good first step for him, but he knows the comfort comes with time.
"The difficult part is trying to master the plays that you can’t replicate in practice. The challenge is the game reps and trying to get those game reps," he said. "I’m excited for it."
Baty enjoyed his best season as a major leaguer last year. Not only did he stabilize the third base spot, but Baty also showed promise at the plate, hitting a career-best .254 with 18 home runs. Now that he doesn't have a position to call his own, the Mets are trying to find ways to get the talented youngster into games.
Even if it means playing some outfield.
The Mets have a hole in right field with Juan Soto and Luis Robert Jr. projecting to start at left and center, respectively. While there's competition between youngster Carson Benge and veterans Tyrone Taylor, Mike Tauchman and MJ Melendez, the Mets want Baty to get reps in the outfield so they and he are comfortable playing out there if they need it.
Baty said he did some outfield reps in the backfields on Friday and will do so again on Sunday. He believes the plan is to get him in the outfield in a spring training game next week, and Baty is excited to try it.
"I feel like a football receiver out there. I think it’s fun to run around out there, catch flyballs, show off the arm and stuff like that," Baty said with smile. "I think you can showcase athleticism out there, and I like it out there, I think it’s very fun."
Mendoza said that the plan is to give Baty as much time at first and in right field this spring as he can, but he's confident the youngster can handle it.
“He’s very athletic. I have no doubt in my mind that he’s able to do it there," Mendoza said. "He was able to play second base for us last year and that wasn’t an easy transition. Early on, what we’ll do is keep [the reps] on the right side of the field, whether it’s first base, right field, maybe second base."
