Brett Baty Talks Getting Called up to New York Mets
LOS ANGELES - After tearing it up in Triple-A Syracuse, Mets top prospect Brett Baty has been called up to the major leagues to assume the role as the team's starting third baseman.
In nine games in Triple-A, Baty slashed .400/.500/.886 with a 1.386 OPS, five home runs and 15 RBIs. This came after slashing .325/.460/.425 with one homer and six RBIs in Spring Training.
The 23-year-old is the Mets' No. 2 ranked prospect in their system, per MLB Pipeline.
Baty joined the Mets in Los Angeles on Monday as they get ready to kick off a three-game series with the Dodgers.
For Baty, he says his goals after being sent down were "hitting the ball hard and playing good defense."
He did just that, and was told he was getting called up to the majors on Sunday morning by Syracuse manager Dick Scott.
"I've always gone into every single day just trying to be the best player I can be and just be as consistent as possible," Baty said. "So when I did go down there, I was just focused on hitting the ball hard and playing good defense. It worked out down there and now I'm up here."
When asked if he envisioned getting called up to the big-leagues this fast, Baty said it wasn't on his mind at all.
"I wasn't thinking about that at all," Baty said. "Like I said all spring training, it wasn't my decision and I just kind of had to roll with it. I was grateful for the opportunity to go down there and play with those guys and then grateful for this opportunity to come up here."
This isn't Baty's first stint in the major leagues. He was called up last August to make his big-league debut, and played in 11 games. Baty believes his past experience will help him this time around.
"Yeah, I think this time it's going to be a lot different just because I know exactly what to expect now -- I got a little taste last year," Baty said. "Everything, everything about the day and everything like that I'm comfortable with now. The guys, I've been around them for a couple years now. So there's just a little bit more comfort to it and I feel good right now."
Baty, who is considered to be the third baseman of the future for the Mets, will now take over the starting role from struggling veteran Eduardo Escobar.
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