Access the Mets beat like never before

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.

In 2022, MLB Pipeline tabbed the three best Mets prospects as Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, who along with Mark Vientos broke into the majors around the same time. Francisco Lindor coined the group the “Baby Mets.”

A few years later — after demotions, inconsistencies, injuries and flashes of promise — they sure look grown-up.

Bottles gone and bats looking ready to break out, the young trio was at the center of their one big, three-run inning that became the only offense the Mets needed in a 3-2 victory over the Angels in front of a sellout crowd of 43,055 at Citi Field on Tuesday.

“We’re going to need all of them,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the Mets (58-44) won a third straight, which followed losing three straight, and claimed the series before Wednesday’s finale.

Frankie Montas was decent in letting up two runs in 5 ²/₃ innings — though recording 17 outs nearly qualifies as a marathon for this Mets rotation.

Three relievers — highlighted by excellence from once-again-Met Rico Garcia and clutch work from Ryne Stanek, who induced a game-ending pop-up from Mike Trout with the potential tying run on second — were better in covering 3 ¹/₃ scoreless innings.

Best for the Mets was the group of friends who have overcome a well-publicized option (in Alvarez’s case), a roller-coaster ride that has included plenty of frustrations (in Baty’s case) and a torn ACL (in Mauricio’s case).

The Mets entered the fifth inning down two runs before the trio went to work.

With two outs, Baty — who is looking more comfortable by the day and who received a vote of confidence from David Stearns on Monday — slugged a double that reached the wall in right-center.

The infielder, who later showed off his glove by handling a difficult short hop on a Jorge Soler hard ground ball in the eighth, is working on a five-game hitting streak in which he is 6-for-15 with a pair of homers.

Alvarez — summoned Monday after a torrid stretch at Triple-A Syracuse — continued looking like the Alvarez of old in working a deep at-bat before getting a seventh-pitch fastball that was thrown down the middle. Alvarez hammered it over the left field wall for a two-run homer that tied the game.

As if the might were not evident enough, Alvarez flexed his right bicep as he came around third base.

“The power from him is real,” Mendoza said after Alvarez’s first home run in Queens since Sept. 21 of last year. “That ball just kept on going.”

Baty waited for Alvarez by home plate, the pair slapping hands and then heading into the dugout together for the celebration.

They exchanged a few words as they watched Mauricio follow Alvarez’s bomb by stroking a single.

“We were all in the lineup — it was me, Baty, Vientos and Mauricio,” Alvarez said through interpreter Alan Suriel. “I think it’s something really special that we’re all finally here in the major leagues.”

And contributing. Mauricio was not on first base long, easily swiping second.

A two-out hit from Brandon Nimmo drove in what became the game-winning run, a big day for the kids and the bottom of the lineup.

Lindor is in a deep 0-for-30 slump. Pete Alonso is 2-for-33 in his past 10 games.

With Baty, Alvarez and Mauricio, the Mets’ Nos. 7-9 hitters scored their only runs of the game.

“To have the length in the lineup where there’s no breath — you can’t take a breath and you have to keep focusing on every pitch being in the perfect spot,” said Nimmo, who extended his own on-base streak to 16 games. “It wears down pitchers.”

The uprising would hold because the Mets bullpen survived.

Garcia — who had been DFA’d by the Mets on July 11, signed with the Yankees July 14, pitched with the Yankees on Friday, was DFA’d by the Yankees on Saturday and was reclaimed by the Mets on Monday — recorded three large outs, including a strikeout of Trout.

Reed Garrett was strong and Stanek recorded his third save of the season, Edwin Díaz unavailable on what would have been a third straight day of work.

Stanek shook hands with the mustachioed Alvarez, who is no longer a Baby.

“I know he has all the making of an All-Star-type catcher,” Nimmo said. “It’s just putting it all together.”