A general view of the exterior of Citi Field prior to the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, March 29, 2024, in New York, New York. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
New York Mets prospect Anthony Baptist, an outfielder from the Dominican Republic and the 29th-ranked international prospect according to MLB.com, was suspended by the club for falsifying his age and identity, Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online reported late Friday.
Baptist, a native of Barahona, Dominican Republic, signed with the Mets and received a 1.1 million dollar bonus in January 2023. At the time, he reported his age as 17. His birthday is listed as Oct. 17, 2005, on his player profile on MiLB.com, which would make the outfielder 18 years old now.
Further details on how Baptist falsified his age and identity and how the Mets organization uncovered the truth have yet to be revealed.
MLB.com’s scouting report touts his speed, noting, “Baptist is one of the fastest players in the class and one of the most exciting. He is expected to start in center field and stay at the position as he develops, primarily because of his speed but also because he has the potential to be an above-average defender. He can chase balls down in the outfield, and like all prospects his age, he is fine-tuning his routes and angles.
The hope is that his speed — he has been consistently clocked at 6.1 seconds in the 60-yard-timed run — will also come into play on the bases and he can develop into a base-stealer in the future.”
He played 32 games in the Dominican Summer League for the Mets Orange in 2023, batting .276/.427/.476 with a .903 OPS, two homers, and 16 RBI.
The Mets have not commented on Baptist’s situation. It is unknown how long his suspension will last or whether the Mets will move to terminate his contract.