Brett Baty isn’t the next David Wright and that’s perfectly fine

There is only one David Wright. There only will ever be one. The greatest third baseman in New York Mets history left a legacy with the franchise even the greatest of prospects shouldn’t have the burden of trying to replicate.

Wright could hit. He could field. He could lead. If you wanted to invent the perfect baseball player, you’d “turn off injuries” on the game and proceed to make Wright.

For third base prospect Brett Baty, there’s a high standard for the position in Queens. He’ll never reach it. And that’s perfectly fine. Baty isn’t meant to be the next Wright. He’s meant to be his own guy.

Brett Baty can be his own unique beloved Mets third baseman

There are still a lot of unknowns with Baty and his future in the big leagues. Third base isn’t 100% his position. The Mets have tried him out in left field. Unless he becomes a better defender at the hot corner, this could be his ultimate destiny.

In the interim, Baty is in line to bring some more permanence to the position. Third base has been one of the toughest positions for the Mets to fill even from the beginning. Howard Johnson was the first to snatch it up for a long period of time. It took almost two more decades before Wright came along and did the same for an even longer amount of time.

When he was first drafted, Harold Reynolds called referred to him as “Freddie Freeman with power.” I don’t think it’s just because they look alike. That’s a pretty good comparison for anyone to have. Freeman is already a good power hitter. Maybe Baty can be better.

There isn’t a positon on the field for the Mets that has become more prestigious in the eyes of fans and the club’s history than third base compared to it was before. Even with HoJo and the things Robin Ventura was able to do after, the club hasn’t employed an exceptional number of players there.

Baty, a third baseman or not, doesn’t need to reach those same levels as Wright. Outside of the position they play and the franchise they do it for, there’s not much in common. Players like Wright are rare and if you look around the league today you won’t find the same tools many places.

The best impact Baty can have on the Mets is with his bat. And if he ends up being called “David Wright with power” then we ended up with far more than we ever thought we would.