Reese Kaplan -- A Three Day Trial for a Hot Hitter

Have you ever been top of your class and been ignored for your achievement?  Have you ever recorded the best performance metrics at your job only to watch someone less capable getting promoted over you?  Did you ever think you were ready for the permanent migration to the best of the best only to have your employer at the 11th hour hire a six time All Star?

Well, these types of reactions are what Mark Vientos likely had running through his head during this 2024 season.  Who led the team in Spring Training HRs?  Mark Vientos.  Who led in RBIs?  Also Mark Vientos.  Who got a one-way ticket to Syracuse?  If you said ¨Mark Vientos” then you are catching on here.

With the recent horrific slump by Brett Baty and the need to replace Starling Marte on the roster temporarily during his bereavement leave, the Mets looked at Syracuse to find out who was doing well.  Imagine finding someone hitting over .300 with 5 HRs and a team lead in RBIs.  That was, once again, Mark Vientos.  In a most surprising move, the Mets opted to promote the slugging corner infielder to give him three days in the big leagues.

No one is expecting a hot three days will have him switching places permanently with Brett Baty.  As quickly as he arrived he is just as likely ticketed back to AAA regardless of what he does on the field.  It will be interesting to see if the Mets actually give him a significant number of innings, but it would seem that with Pete Alonso at 1st base and J.D. Martinez at DH the only opportunity for Vientos is at the hot corner.  If several weeks of hot hitting didn´t warrant Vientos coming north with the team, a trio of days now isn´t likely to do the trick either.

Of course, if Billy Eppler was still here and Vientos was stinging the ball then it is possible that Baty would manifest some kind of injury which would enable the Mets to send him to the IL in order for the Mets to get a 10-day longer look at how often he strikes out and how challenged he is trying to man the third base position. 

For now, it is a good to see what Vientos can do based upon his ongoing hot hitting in Syracuse.  It will be almost more impressive to see him hit line drives rather than gearing up to hit the long ball in each at bat.  That approach might inevitably make him a more valuable major leaguer as a 20+ home run hitter who threatens to fan 180 times is not nearly as valuable as a .280 hitter who can increase his contact rate and cut that number by 20% or more. 

He is still young and it is possible that his skills can be enhanced with the top hitting instructors in the organization, but you have to be playing in order to see if what is talk can be implemented.  Of course, asking a player to try a new strategy might set him back temporarily in his output which will accelerate the tens of thousands of boo birds squawking for his demotion.