Mets would be happy to see Brett Baty put more balls in the air

ST. LOUIS — Brett Baty, the Mets’ third baseman now and — they hope — for many years to come, has shown improvement in the field and at the plate this season, providing early validation for the team’s decision to stick with him at an important position.

But there is a certain “low-hanging fruit,” as hitting coach Jeremy Barnes described it, that if plucked should yield another major step forward — and maybe move Baty from average to above-average as a hitter.

He hits the ball on the ground — a lot. That isn’t ideal.

“It’s something that we’re paying attention to,” Barnes said. “One of the biggest things we have to do is (decipher) what’s a real problem? What’s not a real problem? Now, 55% ground-ball rate or whatever — obviously, I’m not saying that’s what we’re going for. But you don’t want to drastically change things too quickly and create new problems.”

According to Barnes, a ground-ball rate under 40% is solid. The 40-45% range is eh. Above that, “we gotta be careful,” he said.

Last year, Baty hit 50% of his batted balls on the ground. This year, he was up to 54% entering play Tuesday, among the worst rates in the majors.

For most hitters, especially ones like Baty who are strong and not that fast, grounders are suboptimal because they are less likely to be hits.

“I don’t think about it at all,” Baty said. “I just try to hit the ball hard when it comes in the zone.”

Barnes thinks about it a little more, but not so much so that he wants to overhaul what Baty does at the plate. His swing and approach have worked for him throughout his baseball life, after all, and players often are hesitant — for good reason — to diverge from what got them to the majors to begin with.

Through Barnes’ coaching lens, the key for Baty is to stick with his game plan: Looking for pitch X in area Y and attacking it “with reckless abandon” when the pitcher provides it. If Baty doesn’t fall into a pitcher’s traps — and if he is confident in his swings when he takes them — that inherently will lead to more balls in the air.

Baty can get behind that.

“Just knowing your approach and knowing your plan and sticking to it and not, if he throws you something else, don’t change it,” he said. “He could literally come back with the exact same thing you’re thinking . . . I feel like once I start trying to lift it, stuff breaks down.”

Barnes said: “It’s just being convicted in what he’s looking for and what he wants to do.”

In some cases, a hitter hitting fewer ground balls is simply a matter of maturation and experience. Barnes cited Brandon Nimmo as an example. He had similarly high grounder numbers through 2022. His lowering of that rate last year coincided with a power surge, including a career-high 24 home runs.

“(Baty) may not be elite at that, but I expect it to slowly trend in a better direction as he figures out what he wants to be and do up here,” Barnes said. “And it just takes time. Growing up in the big leagues.”  

  Senga update

The Mets haven’t decided whether Kodai Senga will throw another live batting practice session — which would’ve been Wednesday, per their original schedule — or advance to a rehab assignment.

Instead, he wants to throw a regular bullpen session within the next couple of days to try to sort out his mechanics, manager Carlos Mendoza said.

Senga said when he got hurt in February that he believed his delivery being out of whack was what caused his right shoulder strain.

Extra bases

Tylor Megill (strained right shoulder) will make a fourth and likely final rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, about five innings and 75-80 pitches. He tossed four hitless innings and struck out seven for Syracuse on Tuesday . . . Drew Smith (right shoulder soreness) is due to pitch an inning for Syracuse on Wednesday, setting up his likely return during the weekend . . . Brooks Raley remains in a holding pattern as he waits for a second opinion on his inflamed left elbow. Mendoza said, “It’s gonna be slow.”

By Tim Healey

timothy.healey@newsday.com@timbhealey

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.