ATLANTA – Brett Batty has a straightforward take on his recent performance at the plate.
“I’ve been having solid at-bats and feel like I’m really hitting the ball well,” Batty noted before an evening where he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a 9-2 win on Saturday.
Still, Mets executives have taken notice of the growth from the 25-year-old infielder, seeing him evolve into a reliable player just when it matters in the postseason race.
This development is a reminder that success can be, well, unpredictable.
Batty came into Saturday’s game boasting a slash line of .310/.372/.548, having hit six home runs since the All-Star break.
One standout moment this season was when he went 6-for-6 in a game against the Braves.
“For me, he’s just matured,” said Jeremy Burns, one of the team’s hitting coaches.
Burns pointed out that Batty concentrated on refining his swing during the offseason, particularly aiming to decrease his ground ball rate and ensure better contact in front of the plate.
While Batty’s metrics indicate there’s still room to grow—like reducing strikeouts and increasing walks—his bat speed and the rate of hard-hit balls, as well as exit velocity, are impressively above the MLB average.
Burns sees that players who are comfortable hitting often manage to place the ball effectively in both gaps, while also having the ability to pull the ball for a home run.
“We want him to hit hard. He learned that positioning the ball in front doesn’t just mean at the plate,” Burns explained. “It means getting it out more in front of his body, giving him a bit more reaction time. It’s all about experience.”
According to Burns, Batty is starting to exhibit a “quiet confidence” that suggests he understands he belongs in a major league uniform.
Over the last three seasons, Baty has fluctuated between Triple-A Syracuse and the Mets.
“You can see it in his demeanor,” Burns noted. “When you engage with someone who’s a bit overwhelmed, it’s palpable.”
“Playing in New York brings its own kind of challenges. Surrounded by superstars, it’s easy for doubts to seep in if things aren’t going well, and that kind of mental chatter is normal.”
The Mets have been in need of a spark, particularly after a stretch where the lineup struggled.
Baty was part of the early-season challenges, but lately he has been instrumental in bolstering the lineup.
“To reach our goals, we can’t just rely on [Francisco] Lindor, [Juan] Soto, and [Pete] Alonso,” Burns stated. “[Brandon] Nimmo also fits into that group. We need [Francisco] Alvarez to be healthy, [Mark] Vientos to step up, and Baty to contribute, along with [Jeff] McNeil continuing to be himself. For us to achieve our objectives, our lineup needs to be deep and effective from one to nine.”
