Mets fans discuss testing the Trea Turner cheer theory on Brett Baty

Being nicer is a New Year’s Resolution for many people. At the very least, thinking a bit more positively about everything is a nice goal to have for the New Year. New York Mets fan @Steffxxnie_ shared one of her more positive thoughts on the team for 2024 and on a united front fans were not.

“Mets fans, I’d like to try the Trea Turner theory on this year. We should be cheering for him extra hard this season!!”

A nice enough recommendation, not every Mets fan was ready to bring out the pom poms for the young third baseman. Some just don’t buy the theory. Others feel a little roughed up by what has happened—or not happened—this offseason.

@Kyleeto wrote: "Trea was Trea before they began cheering. Herein lies the issue"

@KonsibergScott wrote: "Yes we should there won’t be much else to cheer for the new owner quit on the fans"

@NYMetsChief wrote: "Lame. In NY you earn it"

Will mercilessly cheering Brett Baty out of a slump work?

Booing has been too big of a subject between Mets fans and players over the last few years. Francisco Lindor in 2021 is the biggest example as it led to the thumbing down of the fans by him, Javier Baez, and others. Every fan has the right to have their own opinion on boos, when and if they’re ever appropriate. I find booing the moment appropriate. Jeering an individual without justifiable cause is a little too barbaric for my blood.

Most of the replies to this suggestion aren’t in favor of booing Baty at all. Instead, it’s brains telling fans how uncomfortable it’s going to be when in June he’s hitting .192 and for the last two months he has gotten a standing ovation for every plate appearance. It’s exhausting to be something you’re not. Equally such, cheering for someone to do a better job each day can grow tiresome when there are no signs of life.

Baty could certainly use the support of the fans and a few early season exceptional ra-ra’s to get him going might help him build confidence. Considering half of the games are played on the road anyway, there’s no magical sound anyone can make to suddenly turn him into a legitimate starting third baseman.

The tweet did gain some support from other fans hoping some extra loud cheers of support will help Baty figure it out:

@AdamRStreicher wrote: "Agreed! To take it a step further, I'd love to see this for the whole squad. Change the culture of toxic negativity."

@mookie4ever86 wrote: "Why not? Confidence has been known to boost player performance. We've all seen flashes of a real good player in Baty. Maybe support of his home crowd can help him to stop pressing & just do his thing."

@Mayvis11 wrote: "Any young guy should get cheered for. As a Braves fan if we gave up on young guys not producing Austin Riley wouldn’t be a brave right now."

Last year’s moment in Philadelphia where the Phillies fans rooted on Turner was far different. An idea spawned by WIP’s Jack Fritz, it may have been the one-in-a-million scenario where it immediately works. We’ll never know unless we try. 

And that kind of brings us back around to what’s probably going to happen anyway. Baty will get a clean slate in 2024. The fans will react accordingly. For those interested in participating, maybe get a little louder when he does something well. Show your support when things go poorly.

On the contrary, if you believe it’s lame and a waste of breath to cheer for someone who didn’t deserve it, you’ll have plenty of other supporters ready to hurl verbal tomatoes at third base with you.