The New York Mets have decided against signing a designated hitter thus far this offseason, largely because they want to see if Mark Vientos can take a step forward with his bat. While his power has come through on a few different occasions, most of his at-bats have ended poorly. Vientos went deep against Dylan Coleman of the Houston Astros on Wednesday, his third home run of spring training. But since then, the 24-year-old has gone 0-for-7 with six strikeouts, four of which came on Saturday against Houston.

Being susceptible to the strikeout has been an issue for Vientos at pretty much every level since the Mets drafted. In 2022, he featured in 101 games for Syracuse (Triple-A), hitting 24 home runs and racking up 72 RBIs. Even during a stretch where he was so potent offensively, he owned 28.6% strikeout rate. In 2023, he cut down on his strikeouts in his brief time in Triple-A, securing a 21.6% strikeout rate in 269 plate appearances. Vientos would go on to hit 16 home runs during his time with Syracuse (Triple-A) last season.

Mark Vientos. Photo by Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The former second-round draft pick had some strong moments at the big-league level in 2023, particularly over the final month or so. But even with a solid finish to the year, Vientos had a 30.5% strikeout rate while hitting .211 with a 69 wRC+ in 233 plate appearances.  If he can get that strikeout number down to where he was in Triple-A last season, the other offensive numbers will start to improve.

Some of the president of baseball operations, David Stearns, recent comments that bode well for guys like Vientos and Brett Baty. “I still think – and I’ll continue to think – that it’s important for us to give young players who have consistently succeeded at the minor league level chances to contribute at the major league level,” Stearns said. It appears as if Vientos is going to get his shot at a full-time role, at least for now.

The Mets were reportedly in talks with two-time All-Star Justin Turner earlier this off-season, but he winded up going to the Toronto Blue Jays. In recent days, there is reportedly some mutual interest with 36-year-old J.D. Martinez. There was even some buzz around a potential return for J.D. Davis, but he opted to sign a one-year deal with the Oakland Athletics.

Signing Martinez does make sense, but Stearns remains adamant that the team wants to give the younger bats an extended opportunity. Vientos has struggled in spring training, but at the moment, his role as one of the team’s designated hitters is safe. Will the change in the next two weeks? Time will certainly tell.