Mets reportedly suspend prospect for lying about age
Outfielder Anthony Baptist had been an interesting prospect for the New York Mets. Now his career may be in jeopardy.
According to Mets reporter Mike Mayer, the team has suspended Baptist for lying about his age and identity. He had claimed to be 17 years old when he signed during the 2023 international signing period, earning a $1.1M signing bonus.
Baptist had been considered one of the better prospects in his class. MLB.com ranked him as the 29th-best international prospect, calling him one of the fastest and most exciting players available. He was clocked at 6.1 seconds in the 60-yard dash, his speed giving him the potential to not only be a weapon on the basepaths, but an excellent defensive center fielder. Baptist had displayed improvement in making contact and appeared to be a future leadoff man in New York.
He lived up to his billing in the Dominican Summer League in 2023. Baptist posted a .276/.427/.476 batting line in his 136 plate appearances, hitting two homers and three doubles while stealing 12 bases and drawing 25 walks. There were some warts as he was caught stealing six times and had 29 strikeouts, but he also displayed enough potential to be a prospect to watch.
Baptist is now attracting attention for a different reason. The length of his suspension remains unknown. It is also yet to be determined whether the Mets will look to terminate his contract due to his false representation. He could still be a worthwhile prospect if he is not too much older than he claims. However, even if he stays in the organization, his leash and developmental time will be much shorter.
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