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Mets' Carlos Mendoza reveals Brett Baty has begun taking reps at shortstop

New York Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza announced on Friday that Brett Baty is taking new reps at another position.

Logan VanDine

Feb 17, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets third base Brett Baty (7) practices during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 17, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets third base Brett Baty (7) practices during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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As the New York Mets gear up for their first spring training game on Saturday against the Houston Astros, manager Carlos Mendoza revealed that Brett Baty has begun taking reps at a new position in the Mets' infield.

Speaking with reporters on Friday in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Mendoza announced that even though Baty will continue to take extensive reps at second and third base, he has also begun taking reps at shortstop.

"At the beginning of camp for Brett he's going to be mainly [at] third and second, two weeks from now, three weeks from now we'll see," Mendoza said. "He's taking balls at shortstop, he's taking some live reads during BP but as of right now we told him to be locked in at third and second base."

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Despite being a natural third baseman since being drafted by the Mets in 2019, Baty added second base to his repertoire after being sent down to the minor leagues last season. He made 27 starts at second with Triple-A Syracuse in 2024, posting a .991 fielding percentage over 217 innings.

The 25-year-old will likely be competing for a backup spot on New York's Opening Day roster, especially after Mark Vientos' breakout season on offense in 2024, which solidified him as the team's everyday third baseman.

Additionally, with the addition of infielder Nick Madrigal, who the Mets signed to a one-year deal this offseason, and the surprise emergence of Luisangel Acuña on offense, Baty is looking to add more versatility to his game.

Since making his big league debut on Aug. 17, 2022, Baty has struggled offensively to solidify himself as an everyday major league player. In 169 career games, he has slashed just .215/.282/.325 with 15 home runs, 55 RBIs, and an OPS of .607.

Baty is now hoping that including the position of shortstop on defense for the Amazins' and a strong spring on offense can be enough for him to win that crucial backup role when Opening Day arrives.

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Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan

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