Despite Encouraging Homer, Eduardo Escobar's Future Still Murky

Lots at play in this department...

Eduardo Escobar is proud of you. We’ve heard the tagline. We’ve seen the videos and memes. (Hi, @AthleteLogos!) And after Saturday’s vibe-shifting homer against the Marlins on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field, Mets fans were awfully proud of him.

But these days, the eternally upbeat veteran third-baseman is playing for more than pride. He’s playing for his job.

Anyone with an orange-and-blue pulse is well aware that blue-chip prospect Brett Baty is on the cusp of reaching the peak of the developmental mountain. Some would say he’s done more than enough through his minors career (.291/.391/.499, 40 homers, 61 doubles in 241 games) and this spring with the big club (.325/.460/.425 in 50 Grapefruit League plate appearances). And they wouldn’t be wrong.

It’s become crystal clear that Baty will be taking over the third-base position at some point soon. Are there layers that come along with that decision? Of course. But the first factor that comes into play is the presence of an arguably still-capable Escobar on the roster.

The 34-year-old’s first season in Flushing after signing as a free agent two winters ago was mostly abysmal. The player himself would likely be the first to admit that. Escobar’s .214/.266/.380 line (12 homers, 21 doubles, 413 PA) over his first 104 games in 2022 was painful to follow along with.

We can only imagine what the internal registry was reading from Escobar’s perspective. Though, as the summer wound down, Escobar began heating up, hitting .328/.388/.595 over his final 129 plate appearances. That spurt to close out the regular season surely lent credence to Escobar beginning the 2023 season firmly in the mix of the Mets’ regulars.

Where Baty would fit into the plans, as demonstrated by Billy Eppler’s declaration that more seasoning was needed in Baty’s case, would always be a second-course decision.

Now that things have begun evolving, and with Escobar appearing to be turning a corner (exit velocities of 82.2, 99.0, and 101.3 on Saturday; lineout, long flyout, home run, respectively), you certainly have to wonder how this cookie crumbles.

With Baty currently raking in Syracuse (5-for-15, a homer, and two doubles to start the season), he’ll likely be arriving in Queens sooner rather than later, regardless of what Escobar is doing. Honestly, how much more “ready” for the majors can he be?

If Escobar is coming out of his early-season funk, there would be no reason to sit him down just yet. So in turn, the Mets could employ a customized setup to give both players every possible opportunity to contribute.

If Baty is here, he needs to play. Obviously. And he would, daily, at third base. Escobar, as he’s shown the ability to produce against left-handed pitching throughout his brief Mets tenure (.263/.302/.525, 9 HR, 11 2B in 172 PA vs LHP in 2022), can pick up right-handed DH at-bats (Francisco Álvarez won’t be getting many reps, per Buck Showalter).

It almost seems like the Mets wanted to afford Escobar the opportunity to find his rhythm, knowing it would make them a deeper, arguably better team once Baty’s here. It almost seems like the Mets had a plan all along. Wild.

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