Brett Baty Blasts Dodgers, Ignites Mets Lineup – Watch the Rookie’s Latest Power Surge

Queens, NY—New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty is turning a mid-May hot streak into a full-fledged breakout, electrifying Citi Field and forcing manager Carlos Mendoza to pencil his name into the heart of the order every night. The 25-year-old slugger drove in three runs against the Boston Red Sox on May 21, snapping the club’s four-game skid and jump-starting an offense that had gone silent for nearly a week. Two nights later he launched a 426-foot blast to right-center and added a run-scoring double versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving him nine RBIs in a four-game span and pushing his OPS north of .900 for the first time this season. Baty’s surge is rewriting the depth-chart narrative at third base. Entering 2025, most insiders expected a platoon between Baty’s left-handed bat and righty slugger Mark Vientos, but the former first-round pick is making that timeshare obsolete. According to Statcast, Baty’s hard-hit rate has climbed to 51.7 percent—up nearly nine points from last year—while his chase rate has dropped below league average for the first time in his career. The improved plate discipline is paying dividends: he owns a .327 average against breaking pitches after hitting just .211 on them a season ago. “He’s coming full force every day,” Mendoza said after Wednesday’s win. “The game is slowing down for him, and you can see it in every at-bat.” Defensively, Baty has also shored up a position that plagued New York in 2024. His three Defensive Runs Saved already equal last season’s total, thanks in part to offseason agility work and quicker first-step reads. Scouts note that his reflexes on hot shots up the line have improved, turning potential doubles into routine outs and giving the Mets’ pitching staff a confidence boost. The timing could not be better for a club chasing the red-hot Braves in the NL East. Juan Soto’s arrival provided star power, but Baty’s development adds length to a lineup that now features legitimate threats one through seven. Over the Mets’ last ten games they’ve averaged 5.6 runs, up from 3.9 the previous two weeks, with Baty responsible for driving in or scoring 22 percent of those runs. Fantasy managers and DFS players should take note: Baty’s next series comes in the hitter-friendly confines of Wrigley Field, where the wind can turn routine fly balls into souvenirs. With Chicago starting three right-handers, the left-handed hitter is poised to keep stacking counting stats. Big-picture, Baty’s ascension gives the Mets options at the trade deadline. If he maintains his current trajectory, Vientos could shift to a bench power role or become a valuable trade chip for a bullpen upgrade. For now, though, the story is simple: Brett Baty has seized third base, sparked the Mets’ offense, and vaulted himself into early All-Star conversation—proof that last season’s flashes were only the beginning.