After signing 20 draft picks earlier this week, the Mets have come to terms with second round selection Mark Vientos.
Vientos, 17, will get $1.5 million, just over slot for the No. 59 selection value of $1,094,700, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo on Twitter.
Vientos hit .417 as a senior at American Heritage School in Plantation, FL as a shortstop, but it is expected he will be moved to third base as a professional.
“Vientos is one of the more promising prep bats in the class, with good bat speed and big rotation for future power,” said baseball writer Keith Law. “He’ll be just 17 ½ years at the draft, and he looks it, with a young body that offers a ton of physical projection.
“He’s a shortstop now but almost certainly moves off the position to third or second, and he’s a below-average runner who needs to get a lot stronger.”
This is what Baseball America had to say about the infielder…
Even as an underclassman, Vientos was well-known for the huge upside in his bat.
Before transferring to American Heritage, Vientos participated in the 2016 National High School Invitational with Pembroke Pines, FL’s Flanagan High where he showed rare ability to impact the baseball.
On the summer showcase circuit the following summer, Vientos consistently hit the ball hard and that hasn’t stopped this spring. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Vientos has a projectable body that should add even more strength.
He has thunderous hands and he’s able to generate explosive bat speed without loading his hands deeply.
He’s able to drive the ball with backspin to the gaps and he projects for at least plus power as he learns to loft the ball more.
Defensively, Vientos is unlikely to stay at shortstop, lacking the glove actions or body control typically found at the position.
He’s also a well below-average runner. His plus arm strength leads scouts to project him moving to third base or a corner outfield spot.
Vientos is one of the youngest prospects in the class and won’t turn 18 until December.
He is committed to Miami, but his loud offensive skillset and youth are likely to entice a team to pick him on the first day of the draft.
