An article on Mets.com addressed Mark's 2025 struggles and his hopes to break out. It notes his struggles at the dish AND in the field, likely spilling over from the hitting to the fielding:
May I repeat my earlier suggestions, as a know-nothing blog writer?
Vientos this year, thru Wed., had only swung at the 1st pitch 63 of 200 times.
That's 31%.
A similar player, who struggled mightily until age 28, Brent Rooker, has hit 51 HRs in 2024 and so far in 2025. Great resume.
He has swung at the first pitch 115 out of 246 times up in 2025.
This year and last, first pitch swings 424 out of 896 times
That's 47.3%.
An enormous difference in that regard between the two sluggers.
The guy who swings much more has gotten much better results.
When Mark gets to 2 strikes this year?
He is hitting .146.
And he gets to 2 strikes in 54% of his plate appearances.
What the above tells me?
Mark should be as aggressive as Brent Rooker at swinging at first pitch strikes. Rooker is the one slugger of the two who is not struggling.
You'll walk less, perhaps, Mark, but your offensive output will be better.
Likely MUCH better. Maybe even "Rooker better".
MORE METS MINORS MAGIC LAST NIGHT
The top 4 Mets minors team went 5-0 yesterday, outscoring the opposition 26-8. Dudes are rolling!
Most impressive? Tidwell fanned 11 in 5.2 hitless innings. Wow.
Nolan Ryan stats.
He was charged with 2 runs, as his reliever allowed 2 Tidwell runners to score.
Almost as terrific last night? Tong Terrific and Santucci the Superb combined for 12 innings, 1 run, and 13 Ks.
Plenty of WOWs last night. SOOO many fine players in the Mets minors.
RESULTS CAN SPEAK VOLUMES
Ronny Mauricio has already been in the big leagues.
His AAA stats say he wants back, ASAP:
In Syracuse, the slugger, who turns 25 next April, is slashing at .560/.586/.960 in 29 plate appearances. Wow.
Paul McCartney, who was a star performer at Shea Stadium in his day, is singing, "Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged".
No infield errors so far in roughly 80 innings in R-Mo's rehab, too. Yay!
Drew Gilbert? He was great in AA in 2023.
But 2024 was an injury-addled wash out.
On to 2025...
In Syracuse, the slugger, who is 7 months older than R-Mo, and turns 25 in September of this year, is just .202/.338/.286 in 148 PAs. Not Wow.
His positive highlight there is 23 walks vs. 25 Ks. But the actual batting results are not what any of us might have hoped for. It almost seems, with just 25 Ks, that he has to be hitting in some bad luck.
A decision may soon be forthcoming for David Stearns.
If Mauricio stays scaldingly hot, and Jose Siri continues to not hit when he is healthy, do you decide to DFA and demote Siri, and promote Mauricio? I'd sure lean that way. Siri is, after all, just 76 for 422 (.180) the big leagues in 2024 and 2025. Which is not .560/.586/.960 by a long shot.
Gilbert? Maybe his rust is finally shaken off and he is ready to put up a .560/.586/.960, too, in his next 29 PAs. Time will tell.
LITTLE MARCO
Trump in 2016 called Presidential rival Little Marco. Now, former Senator Marco Rubio is US Secretary of State.
Little Marco - with BIG Results
"Little Marco" Vargas of the Mets just turned 20, and is not really little, either, at 5'11".
He's been in 36 games this year. As I listened for a while to the Cyclones game on SNY last night, he's gotten on base in all 36 games this year.
THAT is no "little" feat. Keep it rolling, Big Marco.
In 7 of those 36 games, he went hitless, but worked out one walk in 6 of those 7 games, and 2 walks in the other. He walks a lot.
OBP of .410. Career OBP, in 795 PAs, is .411, along with 53 steals.
Add some power, and the world is yours, Little Marco (who is not little, either, but better described as Masterful Marco).
9 comments:
Do you think it is presumptuous to try to make corrective suggestions, since the pros are the pros and we writers and commenters are the amateurs?
Absolutely not... We are all experts in our own minds
Sometimes we make suggestions that are eventually implemented.
Agreed, Eddie.
Ray, true. I think my articles prompted them to at least move the fences in a second time, perhaps the first, too.
Why do I still bring it up? Mack noted this AM that "Through two months of the 2025 season, New York’s pitching staff is the best in the majors at preventing extra-base hits." Part of that no doubt is Citi Field still being a pitchers' park after two move ins.
The Mets have a 2.59 home ERA, but a substantially higher 3.17 road ERA, and their hitters are 9th in slugging %, despite a quadrillion $$ payroll. The fences ought to be 5-7 feet closer in. Some games they now win they'd lose, some games they now lose they'd win. I still think getting Soto, Pete, and Lindor in a friendlier hititng park would lift all boats. How could Soto not think about his low batting average? I bet he'd be hitting 50 points higher if he had stayed a Yankee. Swagger gets replaced by a feeling of failure.
I'm sure Soto misses that short right field porch
Tom it sounds many prospects are sizzling. Do you know where the experts rate the farm system
Any info on tanner Witt’s injury at st Lucie. He has been on seven day il for awhile. Any info on injury?
Tom,
Excellent article regarding Mark. If you continue to scroll down the following article profiling Chris Suero is also a good one.
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