New York Mets top prospect third baseman Brett Baty spent a portion of his offseason working on his defense with former five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winning shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
In an interview with Will Sammon of The Athletic, Baty revealed some of the advice he got from Tulowitzki.
"He’s not going to beat around the bush about anything and he’s not going to sugarcoat anything," Baty told The Athletic. "If he doesn’t see something he thinks will play at the next level, he will tell you straight up.
"And I love that in people. I don’t really like people who are just there to tell you how good you are, tell you how good you look and stuff like that. I like the people that are actually going to be honest with you, and help you get better."
Although Tulowitzki says Baty still needs to improve at third base, he believes it will come down to repetition.
"He needs to get better over there," Tulowitzki told The Athletic. "But some people need to get better because they aren’t athletic enough or don’t have arm strength. He’s got all the tools. He just needs some reps."
According to evaluators, Baty has the ability to stick at third base, but he has also seen some time in left field in the minors across the past two seasons.
As prospect expert Keith Law of The Athletic recently wrote: "Baty is big for [a] third baseman but a solid athlete who’s worked hard on his defense, which is more than just playable there."
Baty, 23, made his major league debut for the Mets last August due to injuries in the infield. He went 7-for-38 in 11 games before a torn UCL in his thumb ended his season.
This year, Baty will have the chance to compete for the starting third base job in spring training with veteran Eduardo Escobar. There's also a possibility of a third base platoon, given Escobar struggled against righties last season and Baty crushed them.
As Law also wrote about Baty, he believes the Mets should give him 500 at-bats this year because there's nothing left for him to learn in the minor leagues.
Time will tell in camp whether Baty makes the Opening Day roster or begins the season in Triple-A Syracuse.
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