By Mark Halpern
September is a mere four days away, and ball clubs will get the option to add players to the roster till the end of the season. September call-ups are when minor leaguers who are at the top or having a fantastic season in the minors can get the chance to be called up and play on the big-league roster. Not only be on the roster, but it is also really a showcase for the ball club to get an idea of who is ready and what positions will need to be decided by free agency or trades.
The Mets have already given one of their top prospects a chance to play a little earlier because there was a massive hole at third base, and with all the injuries recently, if another team hit a ball to third base, there wasn’t anyone to field it. Brett Baty, the Mets 1st round pick in 2019 (12th overall), has moved through the Mets minor league system and was in triple AAA Syracuse for less than ten games before Eduardo Escobar went on the IL the Mets needed a 3rd baseman, and Brett Baty was ready to answer the call. Baty has done relatively well since his call-up. Baty hit a Home Run in his first major league at-bat and has been covering the position himself, and he has proved he is ready to handle third base in the Majors.
Adding to the roster at the beginning of September helps both good and bad teams. For the good teams who have a decent enough lead in their division, call-ups give a chance for some of the star players on the team some days off to keep their bodies fresh for the playoffs. On the other hand, for bad teams, It gives them a chance to see if some of their top prospects are ready to fill those holes for next season, and teams can plan their free agency for the following season accordingly.
The Mets have a few prospects who could come up and lend a hand and help the Mets make that final push to win the division. The Mets need help at the catcher position as the Mets haven’t had the best of luck over the last few seasons, and it is kind of fitting that the top prospect in baseball happens to be in the Mets farm system, and is a catcher by the name of Francisco Alvarez. Every Mets fan wants to see what this kid is made of as he tore through AA and AAA this season. James McCann has been very injury prone and hasn’t lived up to the four-year 40million dollar contract he signed two years ago. It’s time to bring up Alvarez and see what he is made of. He will probably split time with McCann to give him some rest, and Tomas Nido can use some rest before the playoffs. Every single Mets fan and even his teammates want to see the #1 prospect in the minors called up.
The other call-up to the major league club should be Mark Vientos, who has been tearing up the minors as well and is currently in AAA and wants to go to the show and prove the Mets top three prospects are everything that has been advertised. Vientos would help in several areas. He can play 1st base, Outfield, and DH, and he has a good glove but an even more powerful Bat. Since Vientos can play various positions, he could give several Mets players a break or move them to DH. Vientos knows he will get to the Majors at some point but is genuinely hoping that he comes up sooner than later.
One thing that needs to be taken into consideration is whether the Mets will need any of these young guys in the Postseason, and the only way that can happen is if they are on the 40-man roster by 8/31/2022 11:59 pm est. They are eligible to play if they are on the official 40-man roster by this time. It is an exciting time not just for the Mets but for the cross-town Rivals, the New York Yankees. The Yankees are also cruising towards the Postseason and are having some injury troubles of their own. I genuinely think we could see a repeat of the 2000 world series, but we will have to wait and see.
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