No player has emerged bigger this season for the Mets than Mark Vientos.
In a year when many top prospects struggled to hit (Jackson-Holiday’s batting average slumped to .181 in the opposing dugout), Vientos hit his 20th home run, becoming just the seventh Mets player under the age of 24 to do so.
The 24-year-old first proved he could hit against major league pitchers, then showed he was more than capable as a third baseman, and now he’s beginning to assert himself not only as a serviceable player, but also as a power hitter who can play second in the order.
“Very impressive,” manager Carlos Mendoza said when asked what Vientos has most impressed him about before Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Orioles at Citi Field. “A little bit of everything.”
Vientos was even more impressive this afternoon, going 2-for-4 at bats and extending his career hitting streak to nine games with a single in the fifth inning.
His big home run came in the seventh inning, when he hit a Craig Kimbrel fastball down the middle over the center field fence to give the Mets a one-run lead at one point.
Only five young Mets players have hit that many home runs: Darryl Strawberry (1983-86), David Wright (2005-07), John Milner (1973-74), Michael Conforto (2017), Pete Alonso (2019) and Francisco Alvarez (2023).
As Vientos worked his way up through the team’s system, his ability in all areas became well-known.
His abilities as a major league third baseman especially caught the eye of managers, and his glove prowess was on full display in the sixth inning when he caught a roller behind the base and made an off-balance, powerful throw across the diamond to catch Ramon Urias, briefly extending Sean Manaea’s perfect game record.
“I can talk about his offensive ability and his coordination, but I can honestly say that defensively, [has been most impressive]”He’s consistent, he’s got a routine, he’s focused, he’s making adjustments, he has a feel for the game,” Mendoza said of Vientos, whose OPS has risen to .894. “Not only is he making good plays, but he also has a good sense of what to do with the ball, how to assess the situation and how to position himself.”
“He’s done a really good job.”
Jeff McNeil missed his third start in four games against another left-hander.
Mendoza again did not mention that left-hander McNeil and right-hander Jose Iglesias were strictly platooning at second base, but that’s exactly what the timeshare resulted in.
“We’re going to be facing a lot of right-handed pitchers,” Mendoza said. “We’re going to bring Iglesias in and take advantage of the matchups.”
Dedniel Nunez arrived at Citi Field on Tuesday after pitching 12 scoreless innings for Triple-A Syracuse and was scheduled to talk with the pitchers.
“We’ll see how he’s doing and go from there,” Mendoza said of the right-hander, who is nearing his return from a right pronator injury.
Sean Reid-Foley, who was banned from pitching after a rehab assignment went awry, has yet to pitch.
The right-hander, who has been sidelined with right shoulder impingement, is working with trainers to “improve shoulder stability,” Mendoza said. It’s unclear when he’ll resume practice again.
Prospect Jett Williams, who hadn’t played in four months because he needed surgery on his right wrist, began a rehab assignment with Low-A St. Lucie and went 1-for-3 with 1 stolen base.
The infielder appeared in just 11 games for Double-A Binghamton in April before being sidelined with a wrist injury.
