Perhaps the biggest pleasant surprise of 2024 was the play of Mark Vientos. At the last minute, Vientos lost his spot on the Opening Day roster and started the season in the minors. He came up for a brief spell and then went back to Syracuse. But he came up for good in mid-May and ended the year with 27 HR and a 135 OPS+ in 454 PA. It looks like the sky’s the limit for Vientos.
We don’t have much to go by with the Stearns-Mendoza regime as to how much rope they’ll give a player. Brett Baty got about six weeks but he didn’t have any positive MLB track record. Pete Alonso got all season. My guess is that Vientos will be much closer to Alonso than Baty in this regard, especially if he’s hitting HR at a good clip.
Love Mauricio's talent and tools. But its not as if he's major league ready and knocking on the door just yet. Given Mauricio's injury and his struggles at 3B when we saw him last, I don't think he would be a factor until late May or later. If Vientos struggle so badly that early on, I would think Baty would get a crack before Mauricio.
I view this as the second breakout year for Vientos. Now with his spot in the field solidified, there is no logical reason to look for regression. Not sure why everyone looks for the "other shoe to drop," and for players to take a step backwards. Other teams have players that move forward and I believe a lot of the Metes success will come from him hitting #5 in the order and driving in a lot of runs. And yes I am totally biased.
I am not confident enough to predict stats but I'll at least predict that I will continue to wish throughout the season that they traded Vientos to Seattle for a younger pitcher than Castillo (sounds fair to bundle him with Acuna). If we believe that Baty is half as good as Vientos then that should be worth doing, so maybe Vientos needs at least 3.5 fWAR to prove me wrong.
Vientos was the second best offensive player for the Mets last year. In the post season he hit 5 homeruns with a .998 OPS. He is 25 years and going into his prime. He isn't a free agent until 2030.
I came to say the same stats. I'll add the full set to yours though: Mark Vientos had a .327 batting average with 18 hits, 5 home runs, 14 RBIs and 8 runs scored in 13 games in the postseason.
To me, that looks like he's got the clutch gene, and he can excel throughout the year.
I think that Vientos will largely repeat what he did in H2 last year and I view that as a successful sophomore campaign. He surprised people last year and expectations were low. This year, he’s expected to play a key role on a contending team. In that context, replicating his H2 performance is a win.
250/300/500, 33 HRs, 90+ RBIs, 175 Ks. 1 triple, 1 stolen base. 1 bourbon, 1 scotch and 1 beer.
Mauricio is waiting for a spot so does Vientos get that much playing time if he hits worse than last year?
We don’t have much to go by with the Stearns-Mendoza regime as to how much rope they’ll give a player. Brett Baty got about six weeks but he didn’t have any positive MLB track record. Pete Alonso got all season. My guess is that Vientos will be much closer to Alonso than Baty in this regard, especially if he’s hitting HR at a good clip.
Love Mauricio's talent and tools. But its not as if he's major league ready and knocking on the door just yet. Given Mauricio's injury and his struggles at 3B when we saw him last, I don't think he would be a factor until late May or later. If Vientos struggle so badly that early on, I would think Baty would get a crack before Mauricio.
Nowhere in my comment did it say that Mauricio would start in the majors.
I view this as the second breakout year for Vientos. Now with his spot in the field solidified, there is no logical reason to look for regression. Not sure why everyone looks for the "other shoe to drop," and for players to take a step backwards. Other teams have players that move forward and I believe a lot of the Metes success will come from him hitting #5 in the order and driving in a lot of runs. And yes I am totally biased.
580 PA, .260/.305/.450, 35 HR
Love his approach at the plate!
My predictions: 560 PA, .262/.315/.495, 36 HR
I am not confident enough to predict stats but I'll at least predict that I will continue to wish throughout the season that they traded Vientos to Seattle for a younger pitcher than Castillo (sounds fair to bundle him with Acuna). If we believe that Baty is half as good as Vientos then that should be worth doing, so maybe Vientos needs at least 3.5 fWAR to prove me wrong.
A 75 point drop in his OPS? Hope not. Betting he stays true to last year.
265/325/510, 31 HR
Vientos was the second best offensive player for the Mets last year. In the post season he hit 5 homeruns with a .998 OPS. He is 25 years and going into his prime. He isn't a free agent until 2030.
644 PA, 272/340/511, 33 HR
I came to say the same stats. I'll add the full set to yours though: Mark Vientos had a .327 batting average with 18 hits, 5 home runs, 14 RBIs and 8 runs scored in 13 games in the postseason.
To me, that looks like he's got the clutch gene, and he can excel throughout the year.
I'll echo your projections.
Mark Vientos: Incremental progress . .
Games: 145
Plate Appearances: 585
At Bats: 531
Hits: 136
Doubles: 28
Triples: 1
Homeruns: 28
RBI: 83
Runs Scored: 69
Stolen Bases: 2
Caught Stealing: 1
Walks: 41
Strikeouts: 148
BA: .255
OBP: .311
SLG: .471
OPS: .782
Total Bases: 250
GIDP: 9
HBP: 5
Sac: 0
SF: 8
Intentional Walks: 1
I think that Vientos will largely repeat what he did in H2 last year and I view that as a successful sophomore campaign. He surprised people last year and expectations were low. This year, he’s expected to play a key role on a contending team. In that context, replicating his H2 performance is a win.
250/300/500, 33 HRs, 90+ RBIs, 175 Ks. 1 triple, 1 stolen base. 1 bourbon, 1 scotch and 1 beer.