MARK VIENTOS, DH/IF
Player Data: Age: 23 (12/11/1999), B/T: R/R
Primary Stats: 65 G, 233 PA, 218 AB, .211/.253/.367/.620, 46 H, 9 HR, 22 RBI, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 SB
Advanced Stats: 69 wRC+, 30.5% K%, 4.3% BB%, .264 BABIP, .305 xwOBA, -0.9 fWAR, -1.1 bWAR
2023 Salary: $720,000
Grade: D
2023 Review
Mark Vientos did not make the New York Mets’ Opening Day roster, so he began the season in Triple-A Syracuse. He spent the first six-plus weeks of the season in the minors before getting called up on May 17. He had a big night in his season debut against the Tampa Bay Rays, hitting a pivotal two-run home run in an 8-7 win in extra innings. Two days later, Vientos had an RBI single that helped the team defeat the Cleveland Guardians. At that point, it felt like Vientos had found his bat at the perfect time.
Unfortunately, the 2017 second-round draft pick only found himself in the lineup against left-handed starters, which forced him to the bench on most nights. Vientos could not get into any sort of rhythm as a result of that, which meant that he looked a bit overmatched in a majority of his at-bats. Despite making an immediate impact with the big league ball club, he finished May hitting .192 with a .530 OPS in nine games (seven starts).
It would not get any better for Vientos in the month of June, as he slashed .158/.227/.158 in 22 at-bats. On the 18th of June, he was optioned back to Triple-A in order to reinstate slugger Pete Alonso. Vientos desperately needed at-bats, and at that time, the only way to get those was to return to Syracuse. But once the Mets decided to sell at the trade deadline, an opportunity presented itself to Vientos.
He returned to the big leagues with a point to prove, hitting 7-for-21 with a home run and three runs batted in over the final seven games of July. But again, his success would only last for so long, as Vientos hit .191 with a .453 OPS in 18 games. A lack of plate discipline played a significant role in his struggles, as he struck out 23 times in 68 plate appearances.
Being an everyday player eventually paid off for Vientos, finishing the campaign with a slash line of .230/.280/.460 with six home runs and 11 runs batted in over the final 24 games. Those numbers may not be impressive for some, but they point to the fact that he showed progression over a large period of time.
The most enticing aspect of Vientos’ game in the long term was his hard-hit statistics. At the end of the season, he finished with a 51% hard-hit percentage and 92.5 mile-per-hour average exit velocity. With those numbers, Vientos finished in the red for hard hit percentage, average exit velocity, and barrel percentage on Baseball Savant.
The Mets have made it clear that their window is going to be 2025 and 2026, and if Vientos continues to improve and hit the ball hard, he may wind up being part of those plans.
2024 Overview
Mark Vientos showed bits and pieces of promise when he was in the lineup consistently. His overall numbers didn’t look impressive, but he performed at a much better clip in the month of August. If Vientos is able to build off that and become a bit more disciplined, he could have a big part to play in 2024. The Mets need a full-time designated hitter, and he could be the man for the job.
