There are 198 players who have at least 60 plate appearances in 2026.
Mike Trout and Nick Kurtz are tied for the league lead in walks, with 20 each. 65 players have walked at least 10 times. 196 players have walked at least once.
Not Brett Baty. The Mets infielder, along with Baltimore’s Jeremiah Jackson, is one of just two players who have not drawn a walk in 2026. Across 64 plate appearances in 18 games, the 26-year-old has not received a single free pass.
The result is a .188 OBP, somehow six points lower than his .194 batting average. It’s extremely rare to see a player with an on-base percentage lower than his batting average, because walks and hit-by-pitches count towards on-base percentage and not for batting average.
In Baty’s case, he has not walked or been hit by a pitch, but he has contributed two sacrifice flies. Sacrifice flies don’t count towards batting average, as they are not considered to be at-bats. They do count towards on-base percentage, as outs.
Baty’s Lack of Walks Leaves Him With League-Worst OBP
Considering Baty’s inability to draw a walk yet in 2026, it is not a surprise that, among players with at least 60 plate appearances, his .188 OBP ranks in last place. Right behind his former teammate, Cedric Mullins, who has a .191 OBP, despite a 4.3% walk rate.
Despite his slow start, the Mets remain committed to Baty. He has appeared in 18 of the team’s first 21 games, starting 15 of them. While he was originally brought up as a third baseman, New York is now using Baty as a first baseman, right fielder, and DH. Those are positions that traditionally require a strong bat.
Baty’s wRC+ of 25 is probably not good enough to stick at first base or right field long term.
Baty Has Never Walked Much, But This is a New Low
Baty has never been a guy known for his ability to draw walks, but this is a new low for the former third baseman.
In 2022, he walked twice in 11 games, good for a 4.3% walk rate. Not bad for a rookie who was still getting adjusted to big league pitching.
The next year, Baty walked 29 times in 108 games. It was a 7.5% walk-rate, ranking in the 38th percentile according to Baseball Savant. His low walk rate was matched by a high strikeout rate (28%) and high whiff rate (31.6%), which makes sense. Players who swing and miss more often are generally going to draw fewer walks and more strikeouts. Players who take pitches, foul balls off, and don’t chase outside the zone will draw more walks and fewer strikeouts.
In 2024, it looked like Baty was turning a corner, walking 9.4% of the time (16 walks in 50 games). That trend continued in 2025, when he finally managed to put together a good full season.
Baty’s 7.6% walk-rate in 2025 was still below average, but barely, as it ranked in the 42nd percentile among big leaguers. His strikeout rate improved to 25%, and his whiff rate improved to 27.3%. It felt like Baty was taking a step forward from his 2023 numbers, which is why New York has continued to prioritize finding at-bats for him in the lineup, even after replacing him at third base with Bo Bichette.
So far in 2026, however, those strides appear to be lost. Baty’s chase rate is back up to 29%. His strikeout rate has ballooned to a career-high 33.3%, ranking in the eighth percentile. And his walk-rate, of course, is a career low 0%.
Mets’ Brett Baty Is One of Two Players Yet to Achieve Simple Task in 2026