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12/20/23

Reese Kaplan -- What Kind of Player Can Mark Vientos Become?


What kind of a player do we all expect Mark Vientos to become?  

We all know his first more-or-less full season in the major leagues was less than spectacular save for a hot September when he finally started to play regularly.  That pattern mirrors his ascent through the minors where he would struggle with each promotion to the next level, adjust, then resume his solid hitting.  Now for the 2023 Mets, it was a bit of too little, too late for Vientos.  

Coming into 2024 it looked as if he was the odd man out.  By all accounts third base was going to be a drawn out battle between Brett Baty who struggled even more than Vientos did with the bat, and Ronny Mauricio who was learning a new position of third base after coming up behind Francisco Lindor as a shortstop.  

Mauricio began his major league debut solidly but then as a book began to develop on him he slowed down quite a bit without having had enough ABs to make his adjustment.  Then the ACL injury struck this offseason and third base pretty much fell right into Baty's lap.


Now to be fair, Brett Baty as a minor leaguer was considered hot stuff.  If you divided his 1100+ ABs into two full major league seasons it would amount to a .290 average, 24 HRs and 90 RBIs.  He had a reputation as a solid if unspectacular fielder, but the hitting numbers certainly would make you drool over his potential in the bigs.  He did fan 25.6% of the time in the minors.  In the majors it spiked a bit to a hair under 30%.

Unfortunately, in his over half a season of regular play in 2023 he finished up with some head scratching numbers.  His batting average was a paltry .210 and over his entire major league trial he provided 11 HRs and 34 RBIs while taking 391 ABs.  Extrapolate those numbers to a full season and throw in the defense that made you yearn for J.D. Davis by comparison and, well, he didn't wow anyone.


By contrast, Mark Vientos had a longer minor league career to get ready for Citifield.  Surprisingly his power numbers are actually superior to what Brett Baty provided, but his career minor league .277 batting average was not as good.  He struck out in 27.5% of his minor league ABs and as seen in September he has the power to hit home runs in clusters.  As far as whiffs, for the Mets he was guilty 32.6% of the time.  Ouch!

During this off season it's been well documented that Vientos flew to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to join teammate Francisco Lindor to get pointers on his defense.  Now words alone won't help improve someone, but knowing more about foot position, depth from the hitter and how to release more purposeful and accurate throws certainly can't hurt.  He's supposed to have a return engagement to the Caribbean prior to heading to Port St. Lucie in 2024.  

Word is that Brett Baty has not made the same defensive improvement journey, but there is still plenty of time before Spring Training begins.  To the naked eye Baty looks like an all around ball player who has not yet hit his major league prime.  It is entirely possible that the very rough 2023 was the result of self pressure, adjustment to better pitching and not having a solid defensive book on how to defend against the hitters.


Mark Vientos looks like a hitter who owns a glove.  Sometimes that is enough if the hitting is indeed strong enough to compensate for the defensive side of things.  Mike Piazza didn't make it to Cooperstown for the way he threw out baserunners nor how he called the game.  It was his incredible hitting that got him there.  

While no one expects Vientos to mirror Piazza's career, perhaps the best way he can prepare for his major league future is to concentrate on the aspect of the game he does best while serving as the DH.  He could spell Pete Alonso at first base when he needs a day off and occasionally take over for Baty at third base when he needs rest or could be slumping with the bat.

For now, the Ronny Mauricio injury is a ghoulish blessing in disguise for Vientos as it nearly guarantees him many more at bats that he otherwise would have gotten fighting for his major league life with Baty and Mauricio.  There's no guarantee that Vientos is indeed regarded as a a semi regular as the club has already been in touch with Justin Turner as a possible 2024 DH.  If that happens, then Vientos gets the Buck Showalter ride-the-bench treatment this year as well.  

As to what type of hitter could he become if he played regularly?  The first player who jumped to mind for me was not a fan favorite in Kevin McReynolds.  He was a player you could write in for .265/23/87 year after year.  

Another good example would be a less than fan favorite Jay Bruce who was good for .244 with 31 HRs and 97 RBIs.  I think anyone would sign up for those veterans' numbers right now.  The question is whether or not Mark Vientos gets the chance to flourish.

15 comments:

  1. I'd take Bruce or McReynolds type of bat from Vientos, although his HR total may surpass McReynolds, although not in 2024.

    He had a good power September. It is time for him to emerge. The Mauricio injury was indeed an unfortunate gift for Mark.

    Mike Schmidt at age 23 hit .196. The next season, 36/116 and .282.

    C'mon, Mark, you can easily do that, and your .211 in 2023 is a 15 point head start on Schmidt.

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  2. Someone somewhere down the baseball road should have taken the time to help this guy survive on the field

    He's not a major league third baseman. Anyone can field a chopper but the one thing you need to survive on the hot corner he doesn't have.

    Instincts

    Everything hit is either a bullet down the line, in between third and short, or on a direct trajectory to tear your Adam's Apple out

    That's why they call it the HOT corner

    Pete does not possess this

    He also has proven he can't play a corner outfield positions

    This leaves DH or 1B

    Me?

    I would hold him back a year in school and let him play a full season at first.in Syracuse

    Repeat JT Schwartz in Binghamton

    Also, make him a more consistent hitter against all pitchers and help cut down the K/9

    Do this well and the worse you have is a decent trade piece

    If not you have a poor fielding inconsistent hitter that strikes out a ton

    What's that gonna do for your team or as a trade piece?

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    1. Vientos has mastered AAA, there’s nothing left for him to learn there. He was playing first base as they had transitioned off of third for Baty. At some point, he needs to put in the work in the majors as many players before him have done. Piazza worked endlessly on his defense. So did Backman who wasn’t a good second baseman when he came up. Neither was McNeil, remember? And Nimmo wasn’t a good center fielder…. all these guys worked and worked and worked, because they wanted it. Let Vientos work too. More time at AAA won’t teach him about being a better major leaguer.

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    2. Okay

      So where do you play him for the Mets in 2024?

      Third over Baty?

      First over Pete?

      DH both wayd?

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    3. Yes, yes, and yes. Let him play third base twice to three times a week. Let him play first twice a week. Let him DH. That’s what the Phillies did with Bohm, and he’s fine. Too, while everyone loves Alonso, do you want to waste this opportunity to get some arms if he only has one year left and either wants to be a free agent or wants money the Mets don’t think he is worth, while this team recalibrates? That doesn’t make sense.

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  3. A nice retrospective piece, Reese. Vientos came up a shortstop and then switched to third base. The trip to Puerto Rico is fine and good, but don’t they do fielding drills and tutoring in the minors? Would Lindor’s way or words have a better affect? As for Baty, no one needs to hear right now how much work he’s done, we will find out in March.

    When Wilmer Flores was my favorite Met, I used to feel that he obviously didn’t put in the work to improve defensively, only cared about the bat. While he has become a viable major leaguer on teams that appreciate him, I used to say that if he put a tire on a chair at first base and went to third base and fielded 100 grounders a day and threw them through the tire, he would learn how to be more consistent. Everyday…. Yea, right.

    I’m glad to see Vientos care, and for that alone I would give him a chance. But, that doesn’t mean Baty doesn’t, and we shouldn’t take it that way.

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  4. My comp for Vientos is Dave Kingman. It is not a clean comp, but the low average, high power, no glove comparison seems to be a match. Nobody could match Kingman for his crazy high altitude moon-shots.

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  5. While DH seems the best role for Mark, I'd still prefer (and expect) Justin Turner to fill that role in '24.

    It's good that he's spending time with Lindor to work on his D (and a tribute to Lindor's leadership), but I wonder why he didn't go to the Carib to play every day for a month or two, as Mauricio did.

    He does have a lot to learn, and I'd rather see him playing every day at 'Cuse than sitting or DH'ing up here. A year from now, Acuña, Williams, and maybe obe of the other kids we picked up last July may be ready and pass him.

    I'd settle for Kingman #s from him, but he's not there yet.

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  6. I'd like to compare Vientos to a younger version of Stanton. Give him the chance and he will produce.

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  7. Kingman was a good hitter - except with the Mets, with whom he had too many fly outs near the wall that were HRs in Chicago.

    Yours truly, The Fence Guy.

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  8. Ray...Leroy Stanton, or that Yankee guy? I'm guessing the latter, although Leroy had one very good year.

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  9. Give Vientos a chance,but as a DH, and he will hit. I bet 230-240,q18-22 HRs and 60 RBI. Not to shabby.

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  10. Wow,Mr Mack,I thought you were a big Vientos fan. Surprised your so down on him after just a year.. I say let(him play and see what we got.

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