When your a young kid you Dream of playing for the Majors and envision yourself hitting that Grand Slammer to win the game in front of the home crowd. It’s often a tall order for many players as few get to really live their dreams out and play professionally. But for one Lake Travis student, hard work, lots of practice, great parenting and coaching has landed Lake Travis senior Brett Baty just such an opportunity.
Brett Baty, a third baseman from Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, talks on the phone with New York Mets personnel after being selected No. 12 by the Mets in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, Monday, June 3, 2019, in Secaucus, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
This past week Baty was one of 4 High School kids to be drafted in the 1st round of the MLB Draft in June 3, 2019, in Secaucus, N.J. Baty who has been hitting a staggering .624 this season just graduated from High School last week and is also playing for the 6A State Championship game in Austin for a chance at a Title.
The Texas Longhorn commit may skip his collegiate career altogether as the temptation to the simply play in the major leagues professionally is every college athletes dream anyway.
The 6’3 19 year old 3B/1B/P has a well balanced game and should do well to acclimate to the pros. We wish him the best in search for his own Field of Dreams.
With
most of their fans expecting a pitching prospect to be selected with
the 12th overall pick of Monday night’s MLB Draft, the New York Mets
surprised many by instead nabbing Lake Travis third baseman Brett Baty.
Perhaps
new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen thought it was about time
his franchise found a suitable replacement for David Wright, who made
his last All-Star Game appearance in 2013.
“I’m
just so happy right now I can’t even explain it,” Baty said in a
televised interview on MLB Network. “I’m grateful to have my family and
friends here to celebrate it with me. They’ve had so much support for me
over the years.”
Baty
was called the “best high school bat” in the entire draft by MLB
Network analyst Jonathan Mayo. The 6-foot-3 senior definitely possesses a
ton of power, as he’s mashed 19 home runs during the 2019 season while
also batting over .600 and knocking in 50 runs with a slugging
percentage of 1.333. As a junior, Baty belted 12 homers for the
Cavaliers.
Impressed
by Baty’s offensive prowess, the Mets added to a growing list of prized
minor league infielders that they hope will one day transform their
lineup in the same way that the trio of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and
Alex Bregman have infused new life into Houston’s order.
Brett Baty, a third baseman from Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, adjusts his jersey after being selected No. 12 by the New York Mets in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, Monday, June 3, 2019, in Secaucus, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Baty
and his family flew to New Jersey for the draft and will head back to
Texas soon so that he can pitch the opening game of the Class 6A state
tournament Friday against Southlake Carroll at the Dell Diamond in Round
Rock. Baty’s presence on the mound has helped ease the loss of injured
teammate Jimmy Lewis, who was taken 78th overall by the Los Angeles
Dodgers on Monday night.
Baty comes into the state semifinals with an ERA of 0.84 and 79 strikeouts.
The
Mets’ gain appears to be the Texas Longhorns’ loss, as Baty’s expected
signing bonus is in the ballpark of $4.37 million. It would be more than
a bit surprising to see the 19-year-old turn down that type of money,
but then again, it wouldn’t be an unprecedented move.
The
Mets’ decision to take Baty represents the first time the franchise has
chosen a third baseman in the first round of the draft since Wright in
2001. Coincidentally, Baty’s T-ball team as a youth was also the Mets.
