Tom Brennan - MY METS PROSPECTS # 7: MARK VIENTOS

Tom Brennan - MY METS PROSPECTS # 7: MARK VIENTOS

The Mets sometimes sign young power bats at fairly high levels, with mixed results.  

Ivan Wilson was 3rd rounder a few years back with big power and, as it turns out, a gargantuan hole in his bat, who saw the writing on the wall and gave up the game.  

Desmond Lindsay may still turn out to be great, and I still have him highly ranked, but he has had his hiccups, not the least of which is missing about half his teams' games in 3 seasons due to injury.

In the 2017 2nd round, the Mets picked young and powerful again, with Mark Vientos, who will only turn 18 around Christmastime.  So far, he looks like a superior pick to me.

The extremely young Vientos played 51 games for mostly the GCL Mets (last 4 at Kingsport).  Playing 51 games at SS for mostly the GCL Mets, he impressed, hitting .262/.318/.398.   

Once August showed up on the calendar, he was even more impressive the rest of the way: .305/.340/.467 in 27 games, with just 21 Ks in 112 plate appearances. 

In 23 games at SS, just 4 errors.  In 14 games at 3B, just 2 errors.  Just 6 errors in 37 starts for a 17 year old?  Far better than Gavin Cecchini circa 2016.  Quite impressive.

I could see Mark as a 21 year old opening day 3rd baseman for the Mets in 2021, admittedly a long look into the future.  

An infield in 2021 of Dom Smith (or Pete Alonso) at 1B, Andres Giminez at 2nd, Amed Rosario at SS, and Mark Vientos at 3B could be one of the best young infields in the game by 2021.  Lots of ifs there, obviously, but the potential is there.   Met fans live on future potential, often not realized, but sometimes it works out.  

Of course, that is all predicated on whether or not David Wright is retired by then, don't you agree?  The good news is Wright's contract runs out before Bobby Bonilla's.

Kidding aside, I hope the Mets jump Mr. Vientos to full season Columbia in 2018, where they play about 55 games more than rookie ball Brooklyn.  If the Nats could accelerate their young Bryce Harper, let the Mets do the same with our young stud, one Mark Vientos. 

LAST NIGHT'S DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT:

Don't you hate it these days when the Mets win?  I want the 5th draft slot, and the way to get there is to lose.

Nimmo is REALLY playing well - the audition is not quite over, but he is passing it with flying colors (192 plate appearances, .274/.393/.433), while Dom Smith has been unable to hit his weight as he slumps close to the Mendoza Line.

Lagares had a nice night, too, and the much maligned Travis D is ignoring all the complaining fans, is on fire, and gunning for the 2018 clean up spot with 16 homers and 54 RBIs in just 337 at bats. La Potencia has competition-cia. Let me add that Lagares liked the fact that Travis only had 15 RBIs last season so much that Juan decided to have only 15 of his own so far this season in 239 at bats.

Flexen clearly knew the answer to "who was John Lennon's wife", when he screamed "ONO!" as Josh Smoker was called in to relieve him with the bags full - Smoker hates crowds, so he let them all score.  Smoker's relatives know that if he inherited anything, he'd surrender it all, so they keep him out of their wills...ahh, you get the point...so Flezen's bid to drop his ERA under 7.00 failed, but he does seem to be improving.  

Matt Harvey is jealous.  And I am, thankfully, done.