The Mets still hope Brett Batty will be their regular third baseman, but that was in doubt after he posted a .474 OPS against left-handed pitchers last year.
Batty, a left-hander, entered Monday’s game with a .786 OPS against lefties in 2024, part of his overall improved play.
“For him to be an everyday player at the major league level, he’s going to have to play against left-handed pitchers,” Carlos Mendoza said of Batty’s 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh on Monday, going 1-for-3. I told you before. “And I’m happy with that.”
Early signs are encouraging.
“He’s shown the ability to hit left-handed hitters,” said Mendoza, who put Batty in the lineup Monday against fellow southpaw Martin Perez of Pittsburgh. “He likes being at bat. He stays there and goes a different route.”
Hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said the 24-year-old struggled in many aspects of his game last season, so a solid start was important.
“He went through a lot of growing pains last year,” Burns said. “A player can’t help but think, ‘What’s going on?’ So it was important for him this year to go all out against lefties. Those things are important. And getting better. The only way to do that is to be here at bat, which is huge for his confidence.”
Mendoza said he might give Batty some time off to “pick his spots” against certain left-handed pitchers or pinch hit, but that hasn’t been an issue yet.
“I like his aggressiveness against right-handers and left-handers,” Mendoza said.
Burns added: “He looks like the Bret Beatty we always knew we’d see.”
Francisco Lindor reached base three times for the first time this season and won the game.
When asked what has changed for the struggling shortstop, Mendoza said: He’s a really good player and he’s getting results. He’s adamant about the process. ”
Lindor has been in the lineup every day so far this season, but Mendoza said he will monitor his playing time as the year progresses.
“That’s part of the conversation I had with him,” the manager said. “He wants to be there every day, but we have to be careful about protecting him.”
Mendoza said he would consider factors such as the team’s schedule when making decisions, but added: “I don’t think we’re there yet.”
He also said he will look for other opportunities to at least give Lindor some breathing room, like he did when he removed him mid-inning in Thursday’s blowout win in Atlanta.
Pete Alonso went 9-for-21 with four home runs and seven RBIs last week and was named the National League Player of the Week on Monday. The first baseman and soon-to-be free agent broke out last week with four straight multi-hit games, shaking off a poor start to the season. …Adam Ottavino pitched eight scoreless innings and retired 17 batters in a row.
Butch Huskey, who wore No. 42 for the Mets when it was retired MLB-wide in 1997, was at Citi Field on Monday as part of the team’s Jackie Robinson Day commemoration.
Robinson’s widow Rachel also attended.
The Huskies said they wore a number in Robinson’s honor throughout his career.
“I told myself that if I could play professional baseball from high school, I would wear No. 42,” Huskey said. “Everything worked out. I got to New York and was able to wear that number. It makes you play a little harder…I loved it.”
As a native of Venezuela, Mendoza noted that his path to the Mets’ managerial position may have been helped by Robinson’s trailblazing.
“If it wasn’t for his actions, I don’t know if I would be sitting here,” Mendoza said.
Before this season, Mendoza, the longtime Yankees coach, also paid tribute to broadcaster John Sterling after Sterling announced his retirement. “He has been very good to me.”
