Mets' Francisco Lindor mentoring Brett Baty amid struggles

New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor is doing whatever possible to help young third baseman Brett Baty get past his ongoing struggles. 

"If he finds a way to keep his head up and keep climbing and keep working, he’s going to be better because he is going through failure and he knows what success is," Lindor said about Baty on Sunday, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. "He didn’t fail as much last year, and in the minor leagues, the game is not the same. Now that he’s going through all this stuff, he’s going to be better." 

Across just 11 games last season, Baty hit .184 with two home runs and five RBI. The 23-year-old has appeared in 68 contests this season and entered Monday slashing .239/.307/.344 with five homers and 21 RBI. In Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baty went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and committed a regrettable ninth-inning error. 

Lindor added that Baty's woes look all the worse due to the fact that the 43-50 Mets are arguably the most disappointing team in the league this summer. New York trails the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East standings by 18.5 games and is eight-and-a-half games back of possessing a wild-card spot. 

"He’s one of those people who is going to figure it out by himself," Lindor said about the "shy" Baty. "He is one of those guys who learns from his mistakes. He learns more by watching than I think people talking to him." 

Lindor has a history of taking teammates under his wing. He could one day be named captain of the Mets even though his relationship with teammate Jeff McNeil continues to generate headlines for peculiar reasons. New York likely will look to sell some veterans ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline in a white-flag move for this season, meaning the organization should give Baty plenty of opportunities over the next couple of months as he looks to reclaim his best form.