Mark Vientos Playing Like One of MLB’s Best Third Basemen
2024 thus far has been the year of the unexpected.
By mid-May, most of us expected the Mets to be far out of the playoff picture for the rest of the season, selling at the deadline and gearing up for a run in 2025.
Nevertheless, the never-say-die Mets went on a tear, slingshotting themselves forward as the best team in baseball over a 45-game span, and inserting themselves right back into the wild card race.
Expect the unexpected, I guess?
Speaking of expectations, what about the starting third base job?
Most Mets fans starting the season were eager to watch top prospect Brett Baty take over the position for good, while fellow prospect Mark Vientos was expected to be a quality bench bat or minor league depth.
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That narrative has flipped, however, as Mark Vientos has officially cemented himself as the Mets’ everyday third baseman and as one of the best third basemen in the major leagues.
The 24-year-old Vientos launched his 16th home run of the season during Wednesday’s game against the Twins, giving the Mets the lead. They would lose the game 8-3, but Vientos’ big swing continued the momentum he had carried with him all season long.
After hitting well in a small sample size in March and April, Vientos took advantage of every opportunity in May, hitting .310 with a .917 OPS over 42 at-bats.
That was enough to earn him the starting spot for June and July, during which he has taken off as one of the most dangerous hitters in the Mets lineup, launching 12 home runs across those two months and improving his slash line to .286/.341/.563 on the season.
League-wide, Vientos ranks in the 97th percentile for barrel percentage, 91st for expected slugging, and 74th for hard-hit percentage. His barrel percentage ranks 8th among qualified batters across the major leagues!
His whiff and chase rates are still in the lower third of league averages, but it’s safe to say the righty from Connecticut has found his power stroke.
That’s exactly what the Mets’ front office could ask for from Vientos, who, as a prospect, was highly touted for his power tool. Plus, he has been an average performer defensively at third, ranking in the 67th percentile for arm strength among qualified third basemen and his outs above average is right at 0.
One of the biggest differences in Vientos’ game in 2024 has been his ability to hit both fastballs and offspeed pitches. His average in 2023 against fastballs sat just above .200, but this year he’s hitting .342.
Additionally, his 2023 average against offspeed pitches (changeups, splitters, etc.) was an abysmal .167. However, 2024-Mark has become more patient, waiting on those offspeed pitches and hitting .320 against them.
He still struggles against breaking balls, but hey, don’t we all?
To sum it up, Vientos has upped his game this year, big time, cementing himself as the starting third baseman for a team that desperately needed another power bat in the lineup. Not only that, Vientos has emerged as one of the top young talents in the league. His 2.2 wRC+ since being recalled to the majors on May 15 is second among NL third basemen and fourth among all major leaguers at the hot corner. The guys in front of him are Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and José Ramírez, with a combined 10 All-Star appearances.
We can only hope his performance continues and his career manning the hot corner in Queens is just beginning.
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