The Mets are hoping that Brett Baty can live up to the role of super utility man straight from the jump.
Jun 1, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty throws out Colorado Rockies first baseman Keston Hiura after fielding a ground ball during the seventh inning at Citi Field.
Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images The Mets are hoping that Brett Baty can live up to the role of super utility man straight from the jump. Just one day after getting his first career start at first base in Sunday’s opening series finale loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Baty got the green light to make his first career start in right field for Monday’s opener in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Make that four different positions that the 26-year-old can play, adding to his natural spot at third base and second base, which he picked up quickly last season. “The athleticism, how easy he moves around the base, his ability to use the whole bag with his footwork, corner to corner, his ability to pick up the baseball because he’s got such great hands, there’s a lot to like,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Baty’s versatility. “I could say the same thing at first base, at second base, at third base. But that goes to show you the type of player, the versatility that he provides to our team. That’s pretty encouraging.”Despite starting right fielder and rookie Carson Benge also being a left-handed bat, the Mets are finding ways to carve out at-bats for Baty in the outfield. Luis Robert Jr. was given the day off on Monday against the right-handed starter Kyle Leahy, and Benge will shift over to center to make room for Baty. Over the first four games of the season, Baty has now appeared as a DH, first baseman, and right fielder — a stark contrast to the once can’t-miss third-base prospect that was slated to hold down the hot corner for years to come..289/.352/.462 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI across his final 74 games last year, the Mets brought in Bo Bichette to take over at third base to prompt a new, nomadic lifestyle. “The one thing for me was from the very beginning, when we started having the conversations in the offseason, was that he was all in,” Mendoza said of Baty. “That’s where it starts. The willingness to do whatever the team is asking you to do. We really didn’t know which way we were going to go as far as the roster construction, but he was all in. Then, watching him last year learn second base and how easy he made that transition, we had no doubt that he was going to be able to do right field and first base, which are new positions.”Joe Pantorno has been the executive sports editor of amNewYork since 2020. He covers the New York Mets and is a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America . He is also a member of the Pro Hockey Writers’ Association and has covered the New York Islanders for nearly a decade. His previous stops include Bleacher Report and Metro New York, while his work has been featured in the New York Post, Newsday, and Yahoo! Sports.Life imitates art: Man shot in Manhattan’s Flatiron District steps from set of TV show CIAtests at new positionsWhy Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin should be the favorite to win the Vezina TrophyMets’ Bo Bichette trying to do too much amid early struggles for new team: ‘My at-bats were terrible’Pulitzer winner John Patrick Shanley debuts new play in NYCBrooklyn cops seek person of interest after man shot dead near home in broad daylight
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