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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Eduardo Escobar enjoyed the “unbelievable” energy that came with playing in the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela, but his focus returned Monday to the Mets.
Unlike others returning from the event — Francisco Lindor and Omar Narvaez were also back with the team — Escobar admits he doesn’t know if he’s got the same job (starting third baseman) as when he departed.
In his absence, Brett Baty received the most action at third base and didn’t disappoint. It has left third base as maybe the one position to watch with less than a week remaining before the Mets break camp.
“I don’t know,” Escobar said, when asked if he still views himself as the starter. “For me I am coming in here with the idea that I am working hard and control what I can and working and seeing what happens.”
Baty owns a .937 OPS in 19 games this spring and has shown a steadiness at the position that could leave team brass with an interesting decision with the 26-man roster. One possibility would be inserting Escobar into a right-handed DH role (which would likely entail trading or releasing Darin Ruf) and giving the 23-year-old Baty an opportunity.
Last year Baty received a chance with Escobar on the injured list and showed flashes — which included hitting a home run in his first major league plate appearance — before a torn thumb ligament ended his season only 38 at-bats into his tryout.
He agrees with the assessment that he seized his opportunity this spring, particularly during Escobar’s WBC stint.
“I didn’t know what the lineup was going to be every single day, but I tried to treat every day like Opening Day and play hard and do my thing,” Baty said. “I got some starts just because [Escobar] was away and I feel like I played pretty well: I had competitive ABs and was pretty consistent over at third, so I am just going to try to continue that.”
Baty cautioned that there’s still over a week remaining before the Mets have to finalize rosters and he can’t afford complacency.
But he indicated he’s proud of what he’s shown defensively.
“I just think it’s been a lot more consistent, but I have always thought I could make every single play over at third base,” Baty said. “These past couple of weeks have been a lot more consistent and I think that is the biggest thing in the big leagues. You can do it one night, but then you have got to come back and do it the next night too. So just being as consistent as possible has kind of been my goal, so I feel I have done a pretty good job of that.”
Mark Vientos also received a dose of third base in Escobar’s absence and had the added benefit of playing at the other corner of the infield with Pete Alonso away with Team USA, which will play in Tuesday’s WBC final. Vientos entered play with an .811 OPS this spring.
“These guys are the future of the team,” Escobar said. “They are doing a great job and I am so happy these two kids are doing a great job in spring training.”
As much as manager Buck Showalter would have preferred having his starters in camp all spring, the silver lining was receiving an opportunity to evaluate his high-end rookies. Francisco Alvarez, who received chances behind the plate with Narvaez away, also falls into that category.
Asked about Baty seizing an opportunity, Showalter added Vientos to the equation and said both have thrived.
“They are probably playing more in spring training than workload management might allow them,” Showalter said. “It’s been good for them. They have gotten into a good groove and whoever gets them to start the season is going to get some guys ready to play.”
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