PORT ST. LUCIE — Brett Baty kept coming back to the same mindset.
He’s trying to keep everything as simple as possible.
“Honestly, I’m just focused on swinging at strikes and taking balls, in the simplest form,” Baty told The Post during the Mets’ 8-5 spring training loss to the Astros on Tuesday. “I made a lot of swing adjustments in the offseason. For me, the biggest thing is keeping it simple. When I do that, I tend to have success. That’s my approach right now — swing at strikes and take balls and be as simple as possible.”
Baty hit his first home run of the spring, crushing a sweeper to right field in the third inning.
He added a single in the fifth inning as well.
He’s had a hot start to the spring, going 5-for-8 at the plate with a double along with his homer.
“There’s a lot to like right now from Brett,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. “It starts with the rhythm, his new setup. So there’s rhythm, which is allowing him to be on time. He’s swinging at strikes — this is a guy that controls the strike zone and he’s doing that. He’s getting pitches, he’s not missing them. Staying behind the baseball, which is another objective for him — to try to stay behind and just put the barrel on the ball.
“He’s getting results, but again, it starts with the rhythm, controlling the strike zone and staying behind the baseball.”
But the Mets have seen strong springs from Baty before.
Translating that success to the regular season at the major league level has eluded the once-heralded prospect, now 25 years old.
So this time around, what are those swing adjustments and new setup?
“It’s being just a little bit more athletic in the setup,” Baty said. “Not striding closed. I’m really focused on keeping two hands on the bat for a stronger top hand. Just those simple things. I think the bigger thing I worked on this offseason was my approach and simplifying that. These guys out here are unbelievable, so I think swinging at strikes and taking balls is right where I need to be. It goes back to being super simple for me.”
Though he has worked at multiple spots across the infield this spring, he was at his natural third base on Tuesday.
Beyond his first homer of the spring, Tuesday’s blast marked Baty’s first wearing No. 7 with the Mets.
He gave up his No. 22 to Juan Soto, who gifted him a new Chevy Tahoe as a thank you. It was Baty’s dream car.
“I love the number and I love the car even more,” Baty said. “I think the number looks sick, I love having a single-digit number, I think it’s pretty cool. And then the car is unbelievable. I drove it down here today, it drives super smooth.”
Unlike his approach at the plate, the new car is not so simple.
“No, not even close,” Baty said. “It’s night and day [from his old car]. I haven’t driven anything that smooth or with that much tech since I got my car in 2016.”
