NY Met with Marble Falls roots celebrates out-of-the-park debut
Brett Baty, third baseman for the New York Mets, celebrates after hitting a home run in his Major League Baseball debut on Aug. 17 against the Atlanta Braves. Courtesy photo
Brett Baty, a third baseman with Marble Falls roots, made his Major League Baseball debut with the New York Mets on Aug. 17, hitting a home run on his first at-bat against the Atlanta Braves. He was drafted three years ago as the 12th overall pick.
Baty’s mother, Leslie, worked for the Marble Falls Independent School District for 25 years before retiring in December 2021. His father, Clint, is the head basketball coach for Lake Travis High School. A former Marble Falls student, Baty followed his dad to Lake Travis during his teen years hoping to attract more attention from college and professional scouts.
“Since he was young, he’s always been actively involved in sports,” Clint Baty said. “Whether it was football, basketball, baseball, soccer, there’s just something about the competition of sports that just drew him in. He likes the ability to show off his versatility at different levels within different sports.”
Baty and his family hold Marble Falls in high regard.
“We still keep in contact with a lot of our friends in Marble Falls from the church and through coaching,” his father said. “There’s lots of lifelong friends that come from small communities.”
Brett was called up to the Mets after third baseman Eduardo Escobar and infielder Luis Guillorme each suffered injuries in the past month. He wasted no time making an impression, hitting a home run on a curveball from Braves pitcher Jake Odorizzi.
Nearly a week later, on Aug. 23, Brett and the Mets took the field at Yankee Stadium to play their New York rivals in what is known as the Subway Series. Back home in Central Texas, Clint Baty was starstruck watching his son take the field against some of the greatest players in baseball.
“When we turn on the TV and he’s playing in Yankee Stadium, he’s on the field with Francisco Lindor and he’s got Max Scherzer on the mound and he’s defending against Aaron Judge,” he said. “It was incredible the amount of stars, and we look up and there’s our son.”
In 2016, Brett Baty verbally committed to the University of Texas. The following year, he was named the 2017-18 Gatorade Texas Baseball Player of the Year after posting a batting average of .615, along with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs as a senior.
After an electric high school career, Baty was drafted in 2019 in the first round by the New York Mets as a 19-year-old. Before being called up, he spent time with several minor league teams, including the Gulf Coast League Mets, Kingsport Mets, Syracuse Mets, Brooklyn Cyclones, Salt River Rafters, and Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
Clint Baty hopes his son stays healthy as the 22-year-old third baseman continues to develop as player.
“We hope he has a long and successful career,” he said. “He’s the one that will own his career, but, obviously, we want him to be the best.”
As for watching his son’s career on the big screen, Clint was a bit in awe.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I’m not going to lie, I don’t know how people get used to that. I don’t think I ever will.”