What can Brett Baty do to land back on the Mets roster?

The New York Mets made a fleury of transactions on Friday. With a trip to London to play the Philadelphia Phillies on the horizon, the Mets optioned Christian Scott to limit his innings pitched. Jose Iglesias had his contract selected to provide the Mets middle infield depth. Catcher Omar Narvaez was designated for assignment and replaced by Luis Torrens, acquired for cash from the New York Yankees. In the short term, the Mets have a more complete roster than previous.

The most impactful transaction to the Mets' future was sending down Brett Baty. This transaction all but ensures Mark Vientos will receive regular repetitions at third base. Deservingly so, Vientos has showcased his power potential in a short sample size. However, the Mets need a better evaluation of Baty before assembling their roster for 2025. That leaves the question, what does Baty need to work on at AAA Syracuse?

Baty must prove he can have complete plate appearances at AAA Syracuse

As David Stearns said before game one against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baty and Vientos have nothing left to prove in the minor leagues. Baty has always hit AAA competition well, which is why he was a top-20 prospect in baseball last season. Throughout his career, the 24-year-old always had a knack for hitting line drives and getting on base.

However, these power numbers have not translated to the major leagues. Part of this is due to the lack of quality at-bats and preferable pitch counts Baty finds himself in. For instance, 54 of Baty's 169 plate appearances have resulted in 0-2 or 1-2 counts. In those at-bats, Baty has just 8 hits and has struck out 28 times.

These splits reflect Baty's struggle to work a favorable pitch count. When pitchers have gotten ahead 0-2 or 1-2, they have thrown Baty breaking pitches, an area he continues to struggle with. These at-bats have resulted in weak-ground balls to the right side or swings and misses at pitches in the dirt.

If Baty can have more competitive plate appearances, he can showcase his power potential as well. He is simply not swinging at strikes and flailing at breaking pitches out of the zone. For Baty to be recalled, he must prove he can force pitchers to throw him strikes. We all know the 24-year-old can hit line drives against minor league competition. With more roster decisions on the horizon, Baty will get another opportunity to prove himself this season.