Paul Articulates - Who's on first?

The redesigned New York Mets are having a first base problem.  When they decided that Pete Alonso was too expensive and not defensively adept enough for their new "run prevention" roster build, they turned to former middle-infielder Jorge Polanco to fill the gap.

This was a gamble because Polanco had a total of one play worth of experience at first base.  He also had spent the entire 2025 season as a designated hitter, so his overall fielding skills would be rusty and his knowledge of the first base position was limited.  During the spring, he spent the first three weeks on the backfield doing drills and had no competitive repetitions.  Then he slowly built up to playing half games in the last two weeks.  Once the regular season started, he started a handful of games before being relegated to the bench to nurse a sore achilles.  This left a hole at first again.

Since that time, the Mets have fielded a variety of first basemen in their lineups, including Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Jared Young.  Much like the spring when Polanco was on the backfields, these substitutes were rotated through the position like a revolving door with none seeing enough repetitions to become proficient.  Each has shown some capability, but the truth is that none of them, including Polanco, is showing the kind of anticipation and range at the position that makes a first baseman great.  Vientos and Young have both made some great scoops of errant throws in the infield, but we all remember that Pete was good at that too.  Pete turned in negative DRS and OAA numbers, and these replacements are on the same track.

Anticipation of where the ball is going is a mixture of good baseball IQ and a lot of experience in position.  I will not judge any of the candidates for their baseball IQ, but I will say that the Mets need to pick one player that they think is best and stick with him to develop the skill.  Range is related to quickness and although it is helped by anticipation, it cannot be taught.  

Meanwhile, in the minor leagues, other first base candidates are not showing readiness.  Ryan Clifford was touted as a big power bat that would eventually be ready for the position, but he has a huge problem with his K-rate in the minors which would lead to a worse problem against MLB pitching.  JT Schwartz showed promise early in his career, but had a horrible offensive year in AA last year.  He is probably the best defensive first baseman in the system, but unless he hits there will be no promotion.  Chris Suero is an upcoming candidate who can play multiple positions including first, but he needs more seasoning right now.  There are no easy call-up options.

Back in the majors, Vientos, Baty, and Young have shown highs and lows with the bat.  When Polanco is fully healthy, he has the healthiest bat of the four.  When Vientos and Baty are hitting well they are capable of contributing to the offense, but it needs to be consistent for the offense to deliver.

This leads me to the question of the day: Who should the Mets plant at first and leave there?

    Brett Baty - currently hitting .231/.222/.327

    Mark Vientos - currently hitting .263/.293/.395

    Jared Young - currently hitting .350/.391/.450

    No one - continue rotating the players through the position 

I look forward to your comments.

ANGRY MIKE: “BABY METS” VERSUS THE “NEXT WAVE”: STATS ANALYSIS

ANGRY MIKE 

With so much buzz focused on the Mets next wave of hitting prospects, let’s take a look at how the next wave’s MiLB statistics stack up with the previous group of top hitting prospects that are currently on the MLB roster. There are some striking similarities between the current “Baby Mets” and the current top-ranked prospects.

Francisco Alvarez, Jett Williams, and Carson Benge stand out for putting up elite production in their professional debuts. Williams and Alvarez both produced elite numbers despite quickly entering the upper levels of the minor leagues by their 21st birthdays. 

Jacob Reimer, Ronny Mauricio, and A.J. Ewing standout for starting their professional careers off with respectable numbers, and then quickly elevating their prospect profile by producing elite numbers despite reaching AA by their 21st Birthdays. 

We’ve provided plenty of analysis on all of these players, here is a quick breakdown of how they’ve each performed in the minors leagues for you to draw your conclusions on who the Mets should be most excited about currently in the MLB roster and who might be next to make their MLB debuts in Queens. 

F. ALVAREZ -> Full-Season MILB STATS: 

Year 1 -> Low-A -> 17 years old -> 21% K-Rate | 178 PA

| .312 BA | .407 OBP | .917 OPS | 7 HR | 10 2B | 0 3B | 1 SB | 26 RBI | 

| 32 Runs | 21 BB |

Year 2 -> LOW-A | HIGH-A -> 19 years old -> 23% K-Rate | 382 PA

| .272 BA | .388 OBP | .942 OPS | 24 HR | 18 2B | 1 3B | 8 SB | 70 RBI |

| 67 Runs | 26 BB |

Year 3 -> AA | AAA -> 20 years old -> 24% K-Rate | 481 PA 

| .260 BA | .374 OBP | .885 OPS | 27 HR | 22 2B | 0 3B | 0 SB | 78 RBI | 

| 74 Runs BB | 70 BB |

J. WILLIAMS -> Full-Season MILB STATS: 

Year 1 -> Low-A |  HI-A -> 19 years old -> 23% K-Rate | 514 PA

| .263 BA | .425 OBP | .876 OPS | 13 HR | 22 2B | 8 3B | 45 SB | 55 RBI | 

| 81 Runs | 104 BB |

Year 2 -> AA | AAA -> 21 years old -> 23% K-Rate | 562 PA

| .261 BA | .363 OBP | .828 OPS | 17 HR | 34 2B | 7 3B | 34 SB | 52 RBI |

| 91 Runs | 76 BB | 

C. BENGE -> Full-Season MILB STATS: 

Year 1 -> HI-A | AA -> 22 years old -> 18% K-Rate | 509 PA

| .281 BA | .385 OBP | .857 OPS | 15 HR | 25 2B | 7 3B | 22 SB | 49 RBI | 

| 87 Runs | 68 BB | 

R. MAURICIO -> Full-Season MILB STATS: 

Year 1 -> Low-A -> 18 years old -> 21% K-Rate | 493 PA

| .268 BA | .307 OBP | .664 OPS | 4 HR | 20 2B | 5 3B | 6 SB | 37 RBI | 

| 62 Runs | 23 BB | 

Year 2 -> HIGH-A -> 20 years old -> 25% K-Rate | 449 PA

| .248 BA | .296 OBP | .745 OPS | 20 HR | 15 2B | 5 3B | 11 SB | 64 RBI | 

| 58 Runs | 26 BB | 

Year 3 -> AA -> 21 years old -> 24% K-Rate | 533 PA 

| .259 BA | .296 OBP | .768 OPS | 26 HR | 26 2B | 2 3B | 20 SB | 89 RBI | 

| 71 Runs | 24 BB | 

Year 4 -> AAA -> 22 years old -> 19% K-Rate | 525 PA

| .292 BA | .346 OBP | .852 OPS | 23 HR | 30 2B | 3 3B | 24 SB | 71 RBI | 

| 76 Runs | 35 BB |

J. REIMER -> Full-Season MILB STATS: 

Year 1 -> Low-A |  HI-A -> 19 years old -> 21% K-Rate | 398 PA

| .265 BA | .399 OBP | .774 OPS | 8 HR | 13 2B | 0 3B | 3 SB | 49 RBI | 

| 63 Runs | 62 BB |

Year 2 -> HI-A | AA -> 21 years old -> 22% K-Rate | 502 PA

| .282 BA | .379 OBP | .870 OPS | 17 HR | 32 2B | 5 3B | 15 SB | 77 RBI | 

| 91 Runs | 58 BB | 

A.J. EWING -> Full-Season MILB STATS: 

Year 1 -> Low-A |  HI-A -> 20 years old -> 29% K-Rate | 376 PA

| .233 BA | .361 OBP | .751 OPS | 10 HR | 13 2B | 3 3B | 13 SB | 49 RBI | 

| 59 Runs | 63 BB |

Year 2 -> Low-A | HI-A | AA -> 21 years old -> 19% K-Rate | 553 PA

| .261 BA | .363 OBP | .828 OPS | 17 HR | 34 2B | 7 3B | 34 SB | 52 RBI | 

| 91 Runs | 76 BB |

M. VIENTOS -> Full-Season MILB STATS: 

Year 1 -> Low-A -> 17 years old -> 22% K-Rate | 206 PA

| .262 BA | .318 OBP | .716 OPS | 4 HR | 14 2B | 26 RBI | 23 Runs | 

| 15 BB | 

Year 2 -> LOW-A -> 18 years old -> 17% K-Rate | 260 PA

| .287 BA | .389 OBP | .878 OPS | 11 HR | 12 2B | 52 RBI | 32 Runs | 

| 37 BB | 

Year 3 -> AA | AAA -> 20 years old -> 29% K-Rate | 343 PA 

| .281 BA | .346 OBP | .933 OPS | 25 HR | 18 2B | 63 RBI | 52 Runs | 

| 33 BB | 

Year 4 -> AAA -> 21 years old -> 29% K-Rate | 422 PA 

| .280 BA | .358 OBP | .877 OPS | 24 HR | 16 2B | 1 3B | 72 RBI | 

| 66 Runs |  44 BB |

B. BATY -> Full-Season MILB STATS: 

Year 1 -> Low-A -> 19 years old -> 29% K-Rate | 223 PA

| .234 BA | .368 OBP | .820 OPS | 7 HR | 16 2B | 2 3B | 33 RBI | 

| 37 Runs | 35 BB | 

Year 2 -> HIGH-A | AA -> 20 years old -> 26% K-Rate | 378 PA

| .292 BA | .382 OBP | .855 OPS | 12 HR | 22 2B | 1 3B | 6 SB | 56 RBI | 

| 43 Runs | 46 BB |

Year 3 -> AA -> 21 years old -> 24% K-Rate | 533 PA 

| .259 BA | .296 OBP | .768 OPS | 26 HR | 26 2B | 2 3B | 20 SB | 89 RBI | 

| 71 Runs | 24 BB |

Year 4 -> AA | AAA -> 22 years old -> 25% K-Rate | 411 PA

| .315 BA | .410 OBP | .943 OPS | 19 HR | 22 2B | 0 3B | 2 SB | 60 RBI | 

| 76 Runs | 49 BB |

The Mets plan is simple, build a roster around Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. The hard part will be deciding which of these young, talented players they believe offer the most upside and have the highest chance of reaching their true potential. It’s a great problem to have, that can quickly turn into a nightmare the wrong decisions are made and the players who are traded away perform better than the ones who remained with the team.

Hopefully they all become studs, so everybody wins…

Paul Articulates - Man in the middle

It is getting very close to the trade deadline.  David Stearns has made it pretty clear that his target is to beef up the bullpen.  Great start with Greg Soto, a hard throwing lefty that gives the Mets two very talented left-handed relievers (Raley) to counter any opponent’s late inning threats.  Garrett and Stanek give you the same from the right side, and of course Diaz remains the closer.

So if you are Stearns, do you declare victory?  Or do you continue to add?  We have certainly seen some innings from Stanek that would suggest that the Mets are not yet comfortable with late inning relief.

In my eyes, the focus should shift towards the middle relief.  Butto is a well-established middle innings guy, and we have often speculated that Tylor Megill could become a great option to eat up 2-3 innings in middle relief.  Stearns has made it known that he considers the AAA talent pipeline as a viable option for that role.  

There is not much doubt that there is a need, with a starting rotation that fails to provide enough quality starts.  Aside from David Peterson, there is no one else in the rotation that can be trusted to give six innings per game.  Holmes is beyond his career norms for innings pitched in a season; Senga still only gives the Mets 4-5 innings long past his recovery from injury; and Manaea has not stretched out to give the team length.  

Carlos Mendoza continues to play a very conservative line with his starters, yanking them after the first hint of trouble following their 70th pitch.

There are several ways that one could look at the Mets’ roster at the MLB, AAA, and AA level and conjure up a middle innings solution.  But the other factor to consider is the position that the sellers are taking.  Several teams are in the market for future prospects, and may be willing to part with a strategic bullpen piece to get a promising infield prospect.  

In my post last Monday, I made the provocative case that the “baby Mets” were underperforming and could be considered as trade collateral for the right player.  The intent there was to shake things up on a passionless team, but now 7 games and 7 wins later they have found a way to start winning.  That does not invalidate the thought that at least one of the baby Mets could be considered for the right piece.  

They must have heard what I was thinking, because Alvarez has returned to the majors with renewed confidence and production at the plate, Mauricio went 4-4 last night with a homer and two doubles, and Baty has a .781 OPS in July.

Most of the talk in trade rumors is about starting pitchers and closers, so the middle relievers don’t get much play.  But if that is the need, the Mets could look at a guy like Ryne Nelson from the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Nelson has quietly put together a 3.29 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP in 26 innings this year, and he has only walked 6 batters in the process.  

A middle-inning control guy is just what the doctor ordered, especially when it comes in a 27-year-old package that still has years of team control remaining.  The D-Backs will be in the market for a young third base prospect as soon as they trade Eugenio Suarez, and the Mets could offer Mark Vientos for Nelson and a minor league starting pitcher like Brandyn Garcia.

This is the kind of play that makes sense for the Mets and gives Vientos new life as a position player.  Would you make this deal?

Paul Articulates - Mets Musings

The all-star break came at a time when the Mets were hot, and the team was re-inventing everyone’s predictions about what will happen this season.  The break ended, and seemingly so did the hot streak as the Mets have now dropped 2 of 3 to the Marlins.   They have scored only 7 runs in those three games.  That is a far cry from the prolific offense that was demonstrated prior to the break.

That’s how it goes in baseball…sometimes the hits cascade and sometimes the ball just goes in the wrong direction.  Saturday’s 1-0 win could easily have been 7-0 as the Mets hitters were barreling many balls but hitting them right at the defense.  

Sunday’s game was not so much unlucky as it was unfortunate.  Poor Christian Scott has pitched very well every time he takes the mound for the team, and he has an 0-3 record.  It seems that he falls victim to “that one mistake” that costs him a multiple run homer in games that his team is not scoring as much.  That will change.  

I love what I am seeing from Scott, who as a rookie pitcher has shown control and poise in his outings.  His 1.20 WHIP is third best among all Met starting pitchers this year.  Only Luis Severino (1.18) and Jose Butto (1.05) have better, and Butto’s numbers have improved significantly since he has mastered the art of relief pitching.

Speaking of Butto, the Mets have experimented twice this year with converting starters to relievers and both have had tremendous success.  Adrian Houser was heading towards a DFA when he proved that he could give capable innings in long relief.  

Jose Butto was an up and down starter who has really put some impressive innings together in relief.  So I have to ask, why not give others a try?  There have been several articles posted on this site and others elsewhere that have implored the Mets leadership to put Tylor Megill and/or David Peterson in the pen.  Neither has taken on that role, and with the pending return of Kodai Senga which will require a six man rotation, I don’t see much of a chance that they do.  

Down in Syracuse there are a couple of high profile starting pitchers that are struggling this year – namely Mike Vasil and Dom Hamel – who might find at least a temporary niche as Mets relievers.

On the offensive side, everyone is enjoying Jose Iglesias’ hitting streak.  OMG he is batting .380 in July!  This is just so much fun to watch, but of course it is not going to last all season.  He is not the reincarnation of Ted Williams, he is just a guy that is having a couple of months that he gets to talk about for the rest of his life.  He has made baseball fun for this team as well, and that removes the pressure of trying to win every day.  If you are having fun, you are loose, and your instincts prevail which has a lot to do with the Mets’ run.

Another guy on a great run and it doesn’t seem temporary is Mark Vientos.  He is hitting .300 in July with a .821 OPS.  He hit .267 with a .887 OPS in June.  He hit .318 with a .918 OPS in May.  Before that he was in Syracuse!  Don’t send him back there – this guy has earned his time on the big club.

Vientos has a hard hit rate of 44.3 – which means that almost half the time he puts the ball in play it comes off his bat at 95mph or better.  So who does it better than that?  Pete Alonso maybe?  No, he is actually just behind Mark at 41.2%.  The team leader is Brandon Nimmo with an impressive 50.8% hard hit rate.  That is one reason he is leading the team with 63 RBI right now.  

As Iglesias would say, OMG!  Nimmo had a tough start to this season and everyone lamented the long term extension he signed.  Well, it was justified because just as before the extension, Nimmo finds a way to get better at something every year.  I am looking forward to the day he decides to get better at stealing bases!

That’s my Mets musings for the day – hope it made your Monday morning just a little bit better.  Let’s go Mets!

Paul Articulates – The rise of Mark Vientos

Mark Vientos was one of the “Baby Mets” that were touted prospects having strong seasons in the minor leagues in 2022.  Baty, then Alvarez, then Vientos got their call-ups that season to show what they could do.  None of them fared particularly well, although Baty’s first at-bat was a home run.  But it was important to get them an introduction to the major leagues.  

In 2023, the expectation was that they would see a lot more action, and mature as players.  Baty and Alvarez got their time, but strangely and to the dismay of the many people who follow the Mets, Vientos rode the bench much more than he played.  The 2023 season was a disaster for the team, so there was very little reason to hold the rookie back from a chance to prove himself but it didn’t happen.  Vientos played in half the games that Baty did and many less than Alvarez who spent time on the IL.

After a good spring training in 2024 where he posted a .795 OPS, everyone thought he would go north with the Mets.  Instead, after the Mets made a surprising last minute acquisition of JD Martinez to become the full-time DH, Vientos was sent back to AAA Syracuse.  He played very well there, posting a .878 OPS and was called up on April 27th, only to be sent back down again on April 30th.  

On the 15th of May Mark Vientos was called back to the big league club again to replace a struggling Brett Baty.  Vientos seized the chance, slashing .310/.370/.548 for the rest of May to make a statement that he belongs on the big league club.  In June, as an integral part of the Mets’ resurgence, Vientos has continued to show his value including a massive 451 foot homer to center field in Wrigley Park last night.

Mark has shown great determination and composure through the entire process.  He continued to work hard in the face of adversity because he knew that was the only way to prove his worth.  When he was sent to Syracuse right after the Martinez acquisition you could see the disappointment on his face during the interviews, but he did not bemoan the organization’s choice – he accepted the assignment and dug in.  There is no denying that he belongs on this team – his .870 OPS is tied with Martinez for the best on the Mets for players with over 100 at-bats this season.  With a team full of guys who have not shown much mental toughness during the adverse periods of the 2023 season and the first two months of this year, Vientos is proving to be the toughest.

It is not clear to me where Mark fits in the Mets’ future yet.  He certainly belongs in the lineup, but his fielding at 3B is adequate at best.  With Pete still at first and a talented outfield on the current team there are not a lot of places to go.  To Mark’s credit, his fielding is much improved over past efforts at third.  With all the uncertainty about what the roster will look like after the trade deadline, there are certainly going to be some opportunities that will arise but it is too early to speculate.

So for now, it is time to celebrate a fellow who has powered through much adversity as he chased his dream to be a valued member of a MLB roster.  It looks like he caught it. 

Paul Articulates – Is Mark Vientos the one?

Mark Vientos has once again gotten an opportunity to play for the big league team after many returns back to AAA.   He always seems to get the wrong end of the deal, and one could argue that when he does get called up he has done well with the opportunities.  The problem is that it never sticks.

Initially the problem was that he was part of a group of talented prospects “the baby Mets” that all became “ready” at around the same time.  Mark was just the last of the bunch and because others were up and the Mets were not committed to fielding a team with too many rookies all at once, Mark stayed down while Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and Ronny Mauricio got their shots.

Then when Mark finally came up, he was targeted for a DH role, but there were already veterans struggling to keep their jobs in that role (Ruf and Vogelbach) and either Buck Showalter or Billy Eppler would not allow him to get consistent time.  He came up and went down a few times, never with a realistic shot.

2024 rolled around and finally all those veteran DHs were out of the way, but now Mark was competing for the third base job with Baty.  Brett won out, Mark was likely going to be the DH, but then JD Martinez became available in the overstock section of MLB_free_agents.com and Mark was back down to AAA again.

Opportunity came knocking again with Baty still struggling to put weeks of consistent at-bats together, so Mark is up again.  Mark is determined to convince the front office that he deserves to be on the team with a full time role, so he has slashed .340/.386/.642 as of Saturday night.  Wow!  That is an OPS over 1.0.  Granted, this is a small sample (16 games, 53 AB) but it is a pretty impressive statement that he can hit major league pitching.

Will the opportunity stick?  I don’t know.  Vientos needs to keep hitting to take advantage because his defense at first base is average at best and his defense at third base is worse than that.  With the very real possibility that Martinez will be gone by the trade deadline as well as some other vets, maybe he does have a shot.

What do you think?

Paul Articulates - Baby Mets becoming Vets

The Baby Mets is a term that was coined to describe that first group of Mets prospects to hit the major leagues.  The term originally applied to Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos.  It is reasonable to expand that list with Ronny Mauricio who came up later, but is still in the “first crop” of prospects.

Although the 2023 season has been a huge cloud of disappointment for Mets fans, there has been a silver lining.  That is the opportunity for the Baby Mets to play almost every day.  The amount of game experience they have seen would not have occurred if the Mets were in a playoff race, as Buck Showalter has shown a bias towards veteran players when the pressure is on.  

Given the time to play through the daily grind, the group has found it to be a significant challenge.

Francisco Alvarez got off to a hot start, hitting 20 home runs by the end of July and playing superb defense that had everyone talking about him as a Rookie Of the Year candidate.  Unfortunately he cooled off quickly after that and has only had 3 HRs since and has also had several errors on over-aggressive throws to the bases.  As the cooler nights approach, he is beginning to warm up again, but is only slashing .215/.290/.439 so his ROY candidacy is over.  Though not all Mets fans agree, Alvarez is being limited to every other game now to reduce the wear and tear on his body in this longest season of his career.

Brett Baty also started strong, but regressed when pitchers found his weakness for those breaking balls down and in.  His very long swing is not adjusting well, and although a few weeks back in AAA helped perk up his hitting, his return to the majors was met with more struggles.  He may have to retool that swing over the off-season to retain his value to the club.  His defense has also been below average this season, as measured by a -4 Outs Above Average (OAA) and a -7 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) to go with his .955 fielding percentage.  

Mark Vientos had a tough time finding playing time in his time with the big league club earlier this year.  However, as time progressed and other DH candidates failed to excel, Mark got his shot and has made the most of it.  Although his power has not quite made the jump, he has been solid in September, batting .275 in 14 games, including last night’s two home run performance, and a three hit performance back in the Reds series.

Ronny Mauricio finally stepped onto a MLB infield on September 1st.  He has not disappointed those who waited a long time for him to move up.  His first at-bat yielded a screaming 117mph line drive that was the hardest hit ball by a Met this year.  He has shown some power and some fielding promise at both 2B and 3B so far – probably enough to make Brett Baty worried.  Mauricio had a huge spring with the club and while some questioned the delay in moving him up, the extra work in the minors seems to have done wonders as he has transitioned very well.  In 16 games with the Mets, he has slashed .305/.359/.407 – best of the bunch.

There is tremendous value in the exposure this group has gotten so far.  Between the four of them, they have played in 284 games and logged 923 at-bats.  They have seen righties, lefties, and every shape of pitch imaginable.  Although they have not really torn it up, they have seen what they need to prepare themselves to perform at the major league level in 2024.  They are turning the corner from rookie to veteran and if they can deliver on their enormous talent it should be a windfall for the club.

Meanwhile, back on the farm there is another group of prospects coming up.  Call it the “second wave”, and it is looking like a Tsunami.  The Binghamton Rumble Ponies have assembled a “murderers row” of prospects and had them on full display Tuesday night in their first game of the Eastern League Playoffs.  They hammered out twelve hits, including a three-run blast by Jett Williams on the way to a 9-2 win against the Sommerset Yankees.  Yes, that is Jett Williams the 2022 first round draft pick that has already made his way up through the lower levels to star in a AA playoff game just 14 months after hearing his name called.  He joins a plethora of talent including LuisAngel Acuna, Drew Gilbert, Jeremiah Jackson, JT Schwartz, and some pitching that becomes more impressive each time out.  

There is a lot of young talent to watch in this Mets organization, and the debut of the Baby Mets is just the beginning!

Mark Vientos named International League Player of the Week

Syracuse Mets infielder Mark Vientos has been named International League Player of the Week for the week of August 15-21. Vientos hit .448 (13-for-29) with two RBIs, three home runs, two doubles, and nine runs scored at Charlotte. The 22-year-old tied his career high with four hits on Sunday.

Vientos has reached base in 24 of his last 25 games since July 10th with hits in 22 of those 25 games. During that stretch, Vientos is hitting .378 with 25 RBIs, seven home runs, seven doubles, 19 runs, and eight walks.

This is the fourth time this season that a Syracuse player has won a weekly league award. Daniel Palka was named the International League Player of the Week for the week of June 13-June 19, Travis Blankenhorn was the International League Player of the Week for June 20-June 26, and Gosuke Katoh was the International League Player of the Week for July 4-11.

Player Profile - Mark Vientos

 

Mark Vientos - photo by Herm Card - Herm444@gmail.com

Mark Vientos, 3B/LF/1B, Bats Right, Throws Right, DOB 12/11/1999, 2nd round, 2017 Draft. 6'4", 185 pounds.

Background, Stats, Videos.

Background:

Mark was a highly touted prospect coming out of High School in the 2017 draft as a 17 year old.  

When Drafted, Mack had this to say: "Betting on youth: Vientos is only 17 years old. With a December 11, 1999 birthday, he'll play his first professional season as a 17-year-old in the Mets system and not start his 18-year-old campaign until 2018. That means two things: We're talking about a player way ahead of the curve, but also one that requires patience. Don't expect Vientos in Queens anytime soon."

That patience paid off big time in 2021 as Mark had a big breakout season splitting time between Binghamton and Syracuse 25 Home Runs, 53 RBIs, .281/.352/.581 - .933 OPS.

The Mets took a chance and had Mark skip High A last year and go straight to AA. After a slow start, he excelled. 

On November 19th, he was added to the Mets' 40 man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. That brings him real close to seeing MLB action. My guess is that Mark will be a Met in 2022.  If he struggles at first, look for him to once again adapt and excell.

Sam Dykstra MiLB.com: Meet the Mets' 2021 Organizational All-Stars - "Third baseman -- Mark Vientos...His 25 homers were the most in the system and more than doubled his previous career high of 12. His .581 slugging percentage led Mets full-season qualifiers...Evaluators have noted Vientos’ power potential from the right since he was a second-round pick in 2017, but the 2021 campaign was the first in which potential turned into true performance. He did strike out in 28.7 percent of his plate appearances, and his defensive home remains in question with the Mets getting him some limited looks in left field. But the growth with the bat has been exciting enough to give the 21-year-old a real chance at being an impact player at the top level."

Mets.com has Mark listed as the #6 Mets Prospect.

Tom recently had Mark as his #3 prospect noting this: one could make a case for Mark being a co - number one slot with Alvarez, based on Vientos' 2021 torrid slugfest.  Started 2021 cold when he jumped High A and started out in AA, but then the dude hit better than a HR every 10 at bats the rest of the season.  Which is amazing at any level."

SNY.TV had Mark Vientos as their #4 Prospect: "Vientos may have had the most growth of any prospect in the system in 2021. He improved in every facet of the offensive side of the ball. He made more contact, improved his pitch recognition skills, and had a massive power season, slugging 25 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A." 

Joe DeMayo SNY.TV: Mets prospect Mark Vientos has crushed the ball and become versatile, putting himself on doorstep of majors. "Since 2006, there are only seven players to hit 20+ home runs with a .920 or better OPS before turning 22 in Double-A. Some of the notable names Vientos shares that list with are Javier Baez, Mike Moustakas, Giancarlo Stanton, and Evan Longoria."  

Mostly a 3B since being drafted, Metsmerized Online interviewed Mark about playing other positions: "At first I wasn’t comfortable at all and I had to learn everything on the go. During the season, they [the Mets] basically told me, 'hey we’re gonna put you in left field and we’re gonna give you some reps at first base.'...I felt much more comfortable as the season went on and I played those positions more often."

JustBaseball.com: Could Mark Vientos Be the New York Mets Next Pete Alonso? Mark Vientos is starting to turn heads as a top prospect for the New York Mets, showcasing power reminiscent of Pete Alonso back in 2018.

Lorenzo Bundy, 2021 Binghamton Manager, said this about Mark playing 3B, 1B and LF: "He is going to play all three. We understand especially in today’s game, versatility is very important, and if Mark continues to swing the bat well, that will give the parent club options, we can play him in left, we can play him at 3^rd, we can play him at 1^st, and it’s only going to help him. Have bat will travel."

Baseball Savant's Spray Chart: 

FanGraphs:

Hit	Game Power	Raw Power	Speed	Field		FV
30 / 40	35 / 60	60 / 70	40 / 35	35 / 40		45+

 

Stats:

Hitting:

Hitting Splits: 

Fielding:

Videos:

You Tube - Mark Vientos is MASHING in the Minors. 

SNY's Mets Prospective: Mark Vientos on how Francisco Lindor's advice helped him skyrocket to AAA.

The @Mets minor league leader in home runs. @MarkVientos_5 had a season for the books. 📚 pic.twitter.com/xjzr0e0Y7Q

— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) November 12, 2021

.@MarkVientos_5 goes oppo 🌮 for number 18. pic.twitter.com/jNT0PZoTmR

— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) July 28, 2021

The kid just keeps hitting homers!

An even 20 on the year for @MarkVientos_5. 👏 pic.twitter.com/WdJC3Cu4ky

— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) July 30, 2021

.@MarkVientos_5 wasted no time getting his first two career Triple-A hits. 📈 pic.twitter.com/Adr0mc72Xy

— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) September 17, 2021

MARK VIENTOS IS RIDICULOUS.

His first Triple-A home run puts us up 5-1!

He’s now 3-for-3 tonight and is a triple shy of the cycle 🤯 pic.twitter.com/TBFxHrbn0j

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) September 18, 2021

VIENTOS DOES IT AGAIN!

Good start to the re-start😤 pic.twitter.com/wpDi67z5yz

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) September 24, 2021

.@MarkVientos_5 has three homers in nine games since joining the @SyracuseMets. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/45VElMyCZh

— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) September 30, 2021

The @Mets minor league leader in home runs. 💪@MarkVientos_5 is a @MiLB Double-A Northeast All-Star! pic.twitter.com/DoYSUnI5IN

— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) October 12, 2021

.@MarkVientos_5 turned in his best season as a pro after a breakout 2021. 📈 pic.twitter.com/B3rBqCFwDg

— Mets Farm Report (@MetsFarmReport) November 12, 2021