NEW YORK -- By the letter of the law, Max Meyer¡¯s full-count pitch to Brett Baty in the fifth inning Wednesday probably didn¡¯t clip the edge of the strike zone. When Meyer¡¯s fastball hit the catcher¡¯s mitt, Baty took a step toward first base before hearing home-plate umpire Adrian Johnson call him out on strikes.
Baty arched his back and reached for his helmet as if to spike it into the dirt. He managed to refrain, however, regaining enough composure to take a slow, muttering walk back to the dugout.
It was that type of game for Baty, who also committed a throwing error that led to two runs in the Mets¡¯ 5-0 loss to the Marlins, which snapped New York¡¯s six-game winning streak. He finished 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts, sinking his OPS to .259. In 27 plate appearances this season, Baty has 11 strikeouts. He¡¯s reached base just three times.
At this point, everything Baty accomplished in spring -- four home runs with a 1.186 OPS over 59 plate appearances, along with surprisingly stellar defense at his adopted position of second base -- seems far in the past. The Mets continue to run Baty out there on a regular basis largely because his platoon partner, Luisangel Acu?a, hasn¡¯t been much better. It will still be another week or two before Jeff McNeil returns from the injured list. And veteran options in the Minors, including Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos, have similarly struggled.
For those reasons, it¡¯s likely Baty will continue to see playing time in the short-term future. But it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s testing the faith of many around the team -- including a segment of the Citi Field crowd that booed him multiple times in the series finale.
¡°He¡¯s going through it right now,¡± manager Carlos Mendoza said. ¡°He¡¯s going to have to continue to fight through it.¡±
From a team standpoint, the most painful moment of Wednesday¡¯s loss occurred in the fifth inning, after starter Tylor Megill allowed a leadoff single to Kyle Stowers. The next batter, Jonah Bride, hit a sharp grounder to the right side, where Baty gloved it, spun and fired well wide of Francisco Lindor at shortstop. An accurate throw would have given Lindor a chance at turning an easy, 4-6-3 double play. Instead, the Marlins found themselves with two men on base and no outs, allowing them to cash in two unearned runs.
¡°I thought it was the right play, it just kind of sailed on me a little bit,¡± Baty said. ¡°If I went back to that play again, I¡¯d probably do the same thing. I¡¯d probably just aim more toward the bag instead of aiming at Lindor coming across the bag.¡±
Offensively, the afternoon held more of the same for Baty. In his first at-bat, he struck out on three pitches. In his second, he worked the count full before Meyer froze him. In his third, Baty again lasted deeper into the count before swinging late on a groundout to third.
The obvious difference between Baty in Spring Training and Baty now, Mets officials say, is that he¡¯s routinely falling into unfriendly counts. When pitchers throw Baty early strikes, he¡¯s taking them or fouling them away. When they throw him balls off the plate, he¡¯s chasing them.
¡°He needs to dictate at-bats,¡± Mendoza said. ¡°They¡¯re getting ahead of him. They are attacking him. ¡ 0-2, 0-1 a lot, it¡¯s not easy to hit at this level.¡±
Asked about Baty earlier this week, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns pointed to the second-base transplant¡¯s defensive play up to that point as reason to be encouraged. Stearns, like Baty, also acknowledged that the sample size remains small.
Time may be running thin for him regardless. McNeil, who¡¯s recovering from a strained right oblique, traveled to Florida on Tuesday with an eye toward beginning a rehab assignment this weekend. He¡¯s a solid bet to return by late April, if not sooner.
In the interim, Mendoza said, Baty is going to continue to receive chances because ¡°we believe in the player ¡ there¡¯s tools, there¡¯s a lot to like there.¡±
If Baty wants to stick around longer-term, he¡¯ll need to start showcasing it on a much more consistent basis.
¡°That¡¯s always kind of in the back of your mind, but what I try to tell myself is I just have to control what I can control,¡± Baty said. ¡°If I see my name in the lineup, control what I can control that day and just be who I am that day. Just be where my feet are. That¡¯s all I can say to that.¡±