The overhaul of the Mets’ big league roster since the trade deadline continued on Monday. The Amazins’ optioned struggling third basemen Brett Baty to Triple-A Syracuse before the first of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field.
Baty, the club’s No. 2 prospect entering the season, has seen his rookie season flip on its head since the beginning of June owning a slash line of .198/.272/.287 in his last 49 games. The 23-year-old is being sent back to the farm to take a breather from what has been a tough rookie season.
“Just a little timeout,” manager Buck Showalter said Monday. “Kind of a take a breath. Just let him kind of work on some things without the day-to-day [grind]. … But, I think with Brett it’s in the best interest of his development. I’ve had a lot of young players who have gone through this.
“I think it’s in his best interest to go down and take a breath and get back to doing what he was doing when he first got here.”
Baty did come out of the gates firing, as Showalter alluded to, after his promotion on April 16 ahead of a series against the Dodgers. The third basemen slashed .319/.385/.511 with two homers and four RBI in his first 15 games. However, it’s gone sharply downhill as his season numbers sit at .216/.289/.331 with seven homers and 27 RBI in 86 games this season.
The everyday battle that is the 162-game marathon of a baseball season may have taken a toll on the mentality of the Mets’ youngster as his demotion came with the intent of giving his mind a rest.
“Just like I said [it’s more] mentally and emotionally,” Showalter said. “I love talking to [Brett] and Mark [Vientos] and different people about what their perception was [of the big leagues] and what’s reality in what they’ve had to adjust to here. The day-to-day scrutiny and not necessarily pressure but… that’s OK and everyone wants to say New York and big market and small market, I think it’s just everything you do here can snowball. …
“It’s real fast for him right now. Just like I told him, I just want him to take a breath and take a timeout. All the things that Jeremy [Barnes] and everybody [has been telling him], he’s got a lot of people trying to help him. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t take two [or] three days and all of a sudden get back to who he is, who he’s capable of being.”
New York isn’t exactly the barometer of patience. Whether that be fans and their expectations for sports teams or just the trials of everyday life. Mets’ faithful has had to accept an unexpected path as the team who owned the highest payroll in baseball history has entered a period of non-competitive baseball of unknown length.
With the veteran foundation being virtually dismantled at the deadline — the trades of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Robertson and others — the organization has turned in the direction of building through young talent. That will require the utmost patience — in a town that doesn’t have the best reputation for it — with the inevitable struggles of players making the jump to the bigs as Baty’s demotion is one of the many growing pains that will be experienced with their new direction.
With the former first-round pick being demoted, third basemen and No. 4 prospect entering the season, Mark Vientos, is expected to get more run at the hot corner as he attempts to find an everyday position for Showalter’s club.
Vientos is slashing .214/.253/.333 with two homers and 9 RBI in 28 games this season. The 23-year-old has played just five games at third base this season.
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