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The New York Mets had the 20th-ranked farm system in Major League Baseball heading into the season.
The first-place Mets are three games above the Marlins through 24 games to begin the 2022 regular season. With sluggers Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis forever enveloped in trade talks, there could be some openings on the big league roster for some offensive prospects to be promoted.
On the pitching side of things, the Mets have a bullpen full of recognizable names, but some of them – primarily Trevor May, Joely Rodriguez and Trevor Williams — have struggled out of the gate. That means that, similar to the offensive side, there could be some roster openings for minor league pitchers to move up in the near future.
The Mets have the “Big Three” of their prized prospects in catcher Francisco Alvarez and infielders Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio. Alvarez and Mauricio are expected to make their big league debuts next season per MLB.com, while position player prospects such as Mark Vientos, Khalil Lee, and Nick Plummer are expected to play at some point this season. Unfortunately for the latter trio, they are all off to slow starts to begin the season.
Baty, however, is looking good so far this year and could realistically see some time on the big league roster soon. Let’s take a closer look at Baty and two other Mets prospects who could make their big league debuts this season.
Three Mets prospects who should be promoted soon
3. INF/OF Brett Baty (Double-A Binghamton)
Brett Baty, 22, is still young enough to potentially wait another year for his big league debut, but he is starting to become hard to ignore for the Mets front office.
Baty only has two full seasons of minor league play under his belt, but last season, he showed that he may be closer than you’d think. In 91 games in 2021, Baty hit 12 home runs, drove in 56 runs, and posted a .292 batting average, all while playing a decent third base and adding a new position to his defensive repertoire – left field.
The #27 prospect in all of the minor leagues, Baty has been in a “friendly competition” with fellow third baseman Mark Vientos to see who can play their way to the big leagues first. Vientos has struggled to begin the season, but Baty has continued to look sharp to the point where he may win the competition between the two friends.
Through his first 19 games in Double-A Binghamton for the Mets, Brett Baty already has 8 doubles and a home run, driving in five runs while posting a slash line of .279/.441/.797. If he can continue this offensive output, he will be on the fast track to cracking the big leagues as the Next Big Third Baseman of the Mets.