Prospect Brett Baty hit HR in his 1st at-bat with the Mets

ATLANTA – The Mets’ No. 2 prospect, Brett Batty, wasted no time bringing the bat to the cause of a team coming off two demoralizing losses to the Braves. Baty hit Jake Odorizzi’s second pitch Wednesday night and sent it over the right-field fence at Truist Park for a two-run homer.

Baty is the fifth player in Mets history to hit a home run in his first at-bat.

Baty was promoted to the big club after Venezuelans Luis Guillorme and Eduardo Escobar were placed on the disabled list. The 22-year-old prospect is known for his power, hitting 19 home runs this season at Double-A, and he showed that tool to the Mets as quickly as he could.

About four hours before taking his first shift as a major leaguer, Baty was quite vocal about how low his expectations were. He could be here a week. Or two decades. The only thing he knew was this:

“I’m here for a reason,” Baty said, “and I’m going to prove it.”

Four hours later, Baty walked the bases at Truist Park, having become the fifth player in Mets history to hit a home run in his first at-bat (and with the first swing of his career). Meanwhile, from the stands, his family did not stop jumping.

In the visitors’ dugout, another celebration awaited, with Baty receiving hugs and high fives from his new teammates. Jacob deGrom slapped him lightly on the helmet, blinding the rookie’s view. Baty couldn’t help but smile.

At the end of the Mets 9-7 win over Braves, it was abundantly clear that Baty belonged at this level. In addition to joining Mike Jacobs, Kazuo Matsui, Mike Fitzgerald and Benny Ayala as the only Mets to open their careers with a first-at-bat home run, Baty hit a 113 mph line drive off left-hander Tyler Matzek, the fastest ball ever hit. by a Met in a lefty vs. lefty matchup since 2016.

On the first defensive play of his career, he made a mid-run throw to retire Ronald Acuña Jr. at first.
Baty went 1-for-4 and handled all four of his defensive chances with no problem, in a game the Mets won thanks to two home runs by Starling Marte, 6 1/3 innings by Max Scherzer and another dominant performance by Edwin Diaz.