QUEENS — Brett Baty experienced another rite of passage on Sunday morning prior to his Mets’ series finale against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field: A parking pass for the player’s lot at the ballpark.
“Look at that. After two weeks, I’m in,” he joked.
Consider that one of the perks of cementing oneself as a key cog in the Mets’ wheel.
The 23-year-old was slashing .346/.414/.654 (1.068 OPS) with two home runs and two RBI in his last eight games heading into Sunday afternoon, which was good enough to elevate him to fifth in a misfiring lineup that had scored just four runs in their previous four games.
While manager Buck Showalter — who has maintained a certain level of faith in his current group — has begun shuffling his lineups around in an attempt to find a spark, intriguing options remain in Triple-A.
Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio continue to rip it up in Syracuse, making it all the more difficult for the Mets to ignore through the early portions of the 2023 campaign.
“It’s just something that’s definitely on our radar and something we’re thinking about,” general manager Billy Eppler said on Friday. “I just wait for the feedback from the group as they go through Syracuse.”
Vientos, who made his MLB debut last season, is slashing .330/.414/.661 (1.075 OPS) with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 30 games. The 22-year-old Mauricio is excelling in his Triple-A debut after getting the promotion this spring. He’s slashing .336/.373/.592 (.965 OPS) with six home runs and 19 RBI.
“I see they’re doing really well,” Baty said. “I just want them to keep doing well and hopefully, we will see them at some point during the year.”
Beginning the season in Triple-A, Baty’s hot start earned him a call-up to the majors while Eduardo Escobar struggled at the hot corner in Queens. But even he couldn’t deny just how good of a trio Syracuse had with himself, Vientos, and Mauricio.
“It was super fun down there,” Baty said. “We put together really good ABs and I’m looking forward for them to come up here to the MLB, but right now, what we need to do is win games with the club we have right now.
“Whenever they may come up here, it’ll be awesome.”
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