Once upon a time, Brett Baty was seen as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and as a future cornerstone for the New York Mets. He was given an enormous opportunity to play regularly in 2023, but he had a very subpar .598 OPS in 389 plate appearances while also looking out of place at third base defensively. He performed better in the field in 2024 and even improved a bit at the dish, but as his .633 OPS would suggest in the 50 MLB games he appeared in, he still wasn’t good enough offensively to justify giving playing time.

While Baty was struggling to prove himself at the MLB level in 2024, Mark Vientos ran with his first real opportunity to play regularly and performed like an All-Star. With his performance, Vientos cemented himself as New York’s third baseman in 2025 and beyond, leaving Baty without a spot.

Given the fact that he had struggled mightily in a fairly large sample in the majors and had lost his third base job, Baty entered spring training with more to prove than just about anybody in the organization. At first, he was in the running for the team’s final bench spot, but when Jeff McNeil went down with an oblique injury, opportunity struck for Baty to fight for the team’s second base job.

His performance in spring training has not only almost certainly won him that job, but he might get Mets fans to believe in him again.

Brett Baty is tricking Mets fans into believing in him once again

Baty has been playing like a man on a mission this spring, slashing .354/.415/.708 with three home runs and nine RBI in 45 at-bats. His 1.123 OPS leads all qualified Grapefruit League hitters as of this writing. Not only has he dominated at the plate, but he has looked better than anyone could have expected at second base, a position he’s still inexperienced at.

Brett Baty makes the diving grab and throw for the out 🔥 pic.twitter.com/H6M1r7DKTl

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 19, 2025

We’ve seen Baty play well in spring training before. Last season, he had a solid .767 OPS before struggling mightily in the regular season. The season prior saw him post a .885 OPS – he proceeded to perform even worse in games that counted. This time around, however, feels different, and the numbers have taken a major leap.

At this point, the second base job, at least against right-handed pitching, is his. He has played too well to get sent back down to the minor leagues, and with McNeil out, he’s the best option to play at second base right now.

With Baty set to receive mostly regular playing time to start the season, Mets fans have no choice but to believe in him again. Will this backfire like the other several times Baty has gotten a chance to play? Perhaps, but he might just figure things out as well. Vientos ran with his opportunity when it looked like one would never come, all Mets fans can do is hope Baty does the same.