There is a buzz in the air surrounding New York Mets third baseman and top prospect Brett Baty. In his limited time last season in late August, Baty showed flashes with the bat and the glove. Baty hit two home runs last season, one of them in his first major league at-bat and drove in eight runs with a batting average of .184 before he missed the rest of the regular season with a thumb injury that required surgery. 

Now with spring training underway, Baty has already played up the expectations on why he was a top prospect for the Mets. In his limited action, he has already hit two home runs and has played very on defense too when given the opportunity. With Opening Day exactly a month away and many notable players like Darin Ruf, Fransico Alvarez, Tommy Pham, and Baty looking to try and grab spots on the roster, here is why Brett Baty should in fact make the Opening Day roster.

Hot Spring Training start

Brett Baty has had a hot start to spring training in the five games and has made a bid for a spot on the roster. In the five games the Mets have played, Baty has homered twice and has driven in three runs. This is a welcoming sign for the Mets after Baty in the regular season last year had problems at times making contact and not coming through in certain spots. If Baty keeps up this strong start to the spring, I think he deserves a spot on the team when opening day begins on March 30.

Eduardo Escobar on a contract year

Eduardo Escobar finished off the 2022 season strong for the Mets after some called it disappointing. After only hitting 20 home runs, compared to 38 in 2021 with the Diamondbacks and Brewers. Adding in the fact that Escobar hasn’t started off this spring strongly, it could open the door for Baty to take his spot. Baty is supposed to be the third baseman of the future for New York and Escobar is 34 so it is safe to say he could be traded at some point in the season if the opportunity presents itself.

Darin Ruf questions

I find it shocking that Darin Ruf is still on the Mets since he struggled so much when he arrived in Queens in late July, only hitting .152 and just one extra-base hit. It is time to move on from Darin Ruf. I understand that he will be used as a designated hitter but he won’t offer much production if he had the downfall we saw this past season. The final spot of the opening day roster will likely come down to Ruf and Baty and probably someone else and Ruf has shown nothing at all to prove that he deserves a spot on the roster but so far, Baty has.