The New York Mets’ top two prospects are now playing for the team’s Triple-A affiliate, which is sure to make fans wonder if either could be called up soon to aid the team in their hunt to win the National League East title.
On Tuesday, SNY reported that Brett Baty, the third baseman and outfield talent that is the second player on MLB.com’s ranking of the Mets’ top 50 prospects, has officially been promoted to the team’s Triple-A squad in Syracuse.
The news is notable because the 22-year-old joins catcher Francisco Alvarez — the organization’s top player on the farm — in Syracuse. Alvarez recently moved into the top spot among all baseball prospects after Detroit Tigers rookie Riley Greene reached 130 at-bats at the big league level.
Both Baty and Alvarez were viewed as untouchables in any prospective trade before the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline. The question now is, could either be a late-season call-up to the organization’s big league roster?
Since Baty and Alvarez are such high-level prospects, promoting them at some point in the next couple of months would seem like a worthwhile move for the organization to make. Why not let these future cornerstones get a taste of a big-time pennant race in New York City? However, there are some key reasons why that’s unlikely.
When it comes to Baty, he is likely blocked by the Mets’ deep bench and the fact that he just reached the Triple-A level. While it is more common now for elite young athletes to have short stays in Triple-A, the Mets trade deadline addition of Tyler Naquin has made the need for outfield and infield depth unnecessary. The seven-year veteran has gotten off to a very good start as the team’s fourth outfielder, and his acquisition has forced a strict platoon at third base with a pair of solid veterans in Luis Guillorme and Eduardo Escobar.
Alvarez seems to be the more ready of the two, but bringing up a young catcher in a playoff push is too risky for a team with a veteran pitching staff and in a serious division battle with the Braves. The Mets don’t have the type of NL East lead where they can rest easy and experiment.
A few weeks ago, Alvarez would have been an option in the designated hitter spot, but New York addressed the performance issues there with deadline deals for Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf.
There’s a chance Baty and Alvarez are on the big league roster early in 2023, but a call-up this season is unlikely.
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