Off of his play last year, Vientos was considered a significant part of the Mets offense going into the 2025 season. The fact that he is doing some things better than last year is a plus. But his inability to be at worst an average part of this lineup is where the hitting coaches have to earn their money. This is where videotape review is important to return back to a time when he was seeing and hitting the ball better. At his stage of the game, it should be just that simple.
In the original draft of this I started veering off into commentary regarding "what if they hadn't signed Alonso and just rolled with Vientos at first and Baty at third". What a narrative that would have been to start the season.
We have to remember that one of the most important skills a hitter needs to have is the ability to know what pitches are bad and what ones are not. Legendary baseball players like Babe Ruth had struggled with this throughout his career. The fact that he is getting more walks than last year makes me believe that at least on an inconsistent basis he knows what pitches are bad and what balls are not. He definitely still swings at garbage pitches though
I wonder how these numbers break down after his slow start. In his first 13 games, Vientos had a .393 OPS. In his last 33 games and 133 PA, he has a .782 OPS. His OBP in the last 33 games is the same as what he did last year, while the SLG is down about 50 points.
Has he cut down swinging at the high stuff after the first 13 games? Also, did this problem surface this year or is that what caused him to struggle down the stretch in 2024? Vientos had an .895 OPS after the game on 8/22/24. Then in his final 135 PA, he had a .700 OPS.
I get that these are all small samples. But we can only use what we have.
Thanks, Brian! It's an interesting question. If we look at the same zone profile charts from April 12 (the day of his 14th game) to today for just the hard stuff, he's actually looking even worse. He's swung at 100% (11/11) of pitches in the upper center zone above the zone and 60% on either side of it.
It seems he's just getting much better outcomes over these last 35 games and hitting fastballs specifically for higher power.
It'll be interesting to see where he ends up this year, but definitely a candidate to continue to give a bit more time too based on recent results.
Vientos was their second best offensive player last year. He is slumping now after he raise his OPS to .721 on May 5th. Baty is a better defender than him so Vientos should be DH. Vientos is better than Marte. Baty is on a roll so don't tamper with that. Mendoza always finds a way to distribute the playing time.
Yeah I'm comfortable generally with how Mendoza has managed playing time so far, though I imagine it's made a tad easier with a front office willing to cut bait (or demote) players much more quickly than any time I can remember. The best scenario is of course both of these players figuring it out consistently.
Great article, with Soto struggling it feels like we haven't put Vientos under the microscope until now. This article has me wondering if Vientos could see himself parked down in AAA for a stint this season. The Mets seemingly have had no problem letting Baty make the trip this year. Maybe Vientos won't be untouchable on this roster if he continues to struggle.
Off of his play last year, Vientos was considered a significant part of the Mets offense going into the 2025 season. The fact that he is doing some things better than last year is a plus. But his inability to be at worst an average part of this lineup is where the hitting coaches have to earn their money. This is where videotape review is important to return back to a time when he was seeing and hitting the ball better. At his stage of the game, it should be just that simple.
In the original draft of this I started veering off into commentary regarding "what if they hadn't signed Alonso and just rolled with Vientos at first and Baty at third". What a narrative that would have been to start the season.
We have to remember that one of the most important skills a hitter needs to have is the ability to know what pitches are bad and what ones are not. Legendary baseball players like Babe Ruth had struggled with this throughout his career. The fact that he is getting more walks than last year makes me believe that at least on an inconsistent basis he knows what pitches are bad and what balls are not. He definitely still swings at garbage pitches though
I still want to see him in the lineup. If he doesn't pick up the pace by the AS game then they should replace him.
I think we should give him some more time too.
Interesting stuff as always, Rob!
I wonder how these numbers break down after his slow start. In his first 13 games, Vientos had a .393 OPS. In his last 33 games and 133 PA, he has a .782 OPS. His OBP in the last 33 games is the same as what he did last year, while the SLG is down about 50 points.
Has he cut down swinging at the high stuff after the first 13 games? Also, did this problem surface this year or is that what caused him to struggle down the stretch in 2024? Vientos had an .895 OPS after the game on 8/22/24. Then in his final 135 PA, he had a .700 OPS.
I get that these are all small samples. But we can only use what we have.
Thanks, Brian! It's an interesting question. If we look at the same zone profile charts from April 12 (the day of his 14th game) to today for just the hard stuff, he's actually looking even worse. He's swung at 100% (11/11) of pitches in the upper center zone above the zone and 60% on either side of it.
It seems he's just getting much better outcomes over these last 35 games and hitting fastballs specifically for higher power.
It'll be interesting to see where he ends up this year, but definitely a candidate to continue to give a bit more time too based on recent results.
DH him and see what happens. Baty has earned a week or two at third.
Baty’s earned more than a week or two. He needs to be in the lineup every day right now. Playing good defense in addition to hitting.
Good analysis , Rob.
Vientos was their second best offensive player last year. He is slumping now after he raise his OPS to .721 on May 5th. Baty is a better defender than him so Vientos should be DH. Vientos is better than Marte. Baty is on a roll so don't tamper with that. Mendoza always finds a way to distribute the playing time.
Thanks!
Yeah I'm comfortable generally with how Mendoza has managed playing time so far, though I imagine it's made a tad easier with a front office willing to cut bait (or demote) players much more quickly than any time I can remember. The best scenario is of course both of these players figuring it out consistently.
Great article, with Soto struggling it feels like we haven't put Vientos under the microscope until now. This article has me wondering if Vientos could see himself parked down in AAA for a stint this season. The Mets seemingly have had no problem letting Baty make the trip this year. Maybe Vientos won't be untouchable on this roster if he continues to struggle.