Is It Time For the New York Mets to Consider Brett Baty or Mark Vientos?
Gosuke Katoh was at Citi Field on Saturday, as the New York Mets awaited updates on infielders Jeff McNeil and Eduardo Escobar, who each left Friday night's 2-1 loss to the Phillies with a thumb laceration and side issue, respectively.
Katoh wasn't needed, as McNeil, who received two stitches in his right thumb was bandaged up and out there on Saturday, and Escobar was available off the bench.
The Mets wouldn't be out of the woods, as Luis Guillorme came up lame after rounding third to score in Sunday's series finale with the Phillies, and was replaced by the banged up Escobar.
Guillorme was diagnosed with a tight groin and will undergo further imaging on Monday. Escobar did come in to play, but you could tell his side still wasn't 100 percent, as he only batted from one side of the plate, even against a pitcher of the same arm.
Katoh is clearly an option if the Mets have to make a roster move since he was on the taxi squad this weekend. However, with the last tough leg of the season on the horizon (four against the Atlanta Braves, four against the Phillies, two against the New York Yankees and three against the Los Angeles Dodgers) coming up, should the team tap into their farm system?
Both No. 2 Mets prospect Brett Baty and No. 5 prospect Mark Vientos are at Triple-A Syracuse right now. If the Mets want to field the best team to secure this tough stretch and really put a nail in the coffin before a favorable September schedule, they should consider it.
Baty, 22, was just recently promoted to Syracuse after a monster season at Double-A Binghamton.
With the Rumble Ponies, Baty appeared in 89 games, smashed 19 home runs, had a triple slash of .312/.406/.544, a .416 wOBA and 160 wRC+ in 394 plate appearances.
Listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 210 lbs., Baty is a big guy with booming raw power. Will he win any Gold Gloves at third base? Probably not, but if he continues to mash like he did this year in the minors, you gladly take that bat six ways from Sunday.
Baty is on track for a 2023 debut and could crack the Opening Day roster with a strong finish this year and strong Spring Training next.
That's likely the floor for Baty at the moment, not the ceiling.
In 2015, the Mets called up top prospect Michael Conforto straight from Double-A for their stretch run. Every situation is unique, but calling up Baty now would give him a taste of big league ball and a playoff push, and would give the team a glimpse into the future.
Being conservative with Baty would be understandable, as him and catcher Francisco Alvarez are the wave of the future for these Mets.
As for Vientos, he's not a perfect fit even in wake of the recent injuries.
The 22-year-old has clubbed 19 home runs at Syracuse this year to go along with a .274/.355/.521 clip, .380 wOBA and 130 wRC+ in 80 games.
To put it lightly, Vientos is a butcher at third base and is likely destined to be a first baseman, but most likely, a designated hitter going forward.
If someone like Darin Ruf had went down, Vientos would be a more normal fit, but not so much at the moment due to his inability to play good third base.
However, he could still chip in on offense, which still makes him an option here, though it really depends on what we find out tomorrow about Escobar and Guillorme going forward.
The 27-year-old Katoh debuted earlier this season as a Toronto Blue Jay, before he was plucked off the waiver wire by the Mets several months ago.
The former second round pick has played mostly second base this year at Triple-A, with a bit of left field and can play third if need be, so him being on the taxi squad makes sense.
September should be a cakewalk for the Mets if they continue their trend of beating up on bad teams. For right now though, it could be exciting for the team to bring up one of their prospects that could be part of the future and could contribute.
The team brass will have some things to consider this week as their injury situation becomes more clear.
