Mark Vientos has been nothing short of phenomenal over the past month.
Whether it was hitting seven home runs in June or outplaying Brett Batey to prove he deserves to play third base, the 24-year-old continues to make strong showings that he is a player to have in the league.
Vientos further made his case on Friday night, hitting two extra-base hits, including his 12th home run of the season, while helping the Mets beat the Rockies 7-6.
“It feels good,” Vientos said of his recent success. “It makes me even happier that the team is winning and that I’m contributing.”
Vientos’ first hard hit against the ball and opposing pitcher Tanner Gordon came in the bottom of the second inning, when he smashed the ball 408 feet over the left-center field fence to give the Mets their first run of the game.
“The first pitch was a fastball, it went right by me, and I was hoping that he would throw it to me the whole time,” Vientos said. “He threw it to me again, and I was able to take a good swing.”
Part of the credit for Vientos’ recent success goes to Mets special assistant Carlos Beltran.
The former All-Star outfielder suggested Vientos target center field and right-center field so he could improve his connection with the ball without losing power.
Vientos also doubled in the bottom of the third with a liner to Rockies left fielder Sam Hilliard, helping Francisco Alvarez secure a run.
If this had happened a year ago, neither fans nor experts, and maybe even Vientos, would have thought this was likely.
He didn’t get an adequate workout with the Mets and had to fight for playing time during the 2023 season, splitting time between the major leagues and Triple-A Syracuse.
But he fought for playing time.
Since mid-May, Vientos has been hitting well at third base.
In 174 at-bats through Friday, Vientos was batting .299 with a .353 on-base percentage and a .569 slugging percentage.
“It means a lot,” Vientos said. “We’ve put in a lot of work in the offseason to prepare for this year and I’m happy it’s paying off.”
Vientos finished his 49th game on Friday at Citi Field with two hits and one walk for three at-bats.
In doing so, he proved that his bat could be a key component in a resurgent Mets season going forward.
