The New York Mets need power and run production, and Mark Vientos has stepped up to provide it.
Current first baseman Mark Vientos spent the offseason as the New Yokr Mets’ forgotten man, and many fans and media experts thought he’d be traded. But the Mets elected to hang onto Vientos, and they’re glad they did now that he’s starting to warm up.
“We’ve seen it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said in a piece written by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “We haven’t seen that in a while, but when he gets hot, man, he can carry a team.”
The last time the Mets saw this was back in 2024, when Vientos had a breakout season that featured 27 home runs. He followed that up with a brilliant October in the same season, posting a 327/.362/.636 with five home runs in 13 playoff games, Vientos was the best hitter in October, which is saying something given the numbers shortstop Francisco Lindor also put up.
Vientos proceeded to tank badly last year, which was the reason for the trade speculation. His OPS dropped to .678 in the first 53 games of the season, and a strained right hamstring prevented any kind of rebound. By the end of the season Vientos could barely get on the field, which is what make his recent surge so remarkable.
Even this season has been somewhat problematic. The Mets have been forced to use Vientos at first, where he’s not exactly a plus defender. As a hitter he said he’s been “seeing the ball great,” but Vientos has been chasing and missing hittable fastballs.
But that’s changing rapidly. On Sunday Vientos hit a 427-foot bomb off Los Angeles Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz, and he also crushed a Nick Sandlin slider for another home run. Since April 27, he has three home runs and an OPS of 8.56 in 13 games, according to DiComo.
One key to this is Vientos’ ability to hit high-velocity fastballs. He shares that ability with Juan Soto, and they can do this better than most Mets hitters, with a respective OPS of .668 for Soto and .556 for Vientos.
The Mets need that kind of power, and with the latest round of injuries Vientos will be in the lineup with a chance to provide it. It’s not the lineup the Mets envisioned during the offseason, but a lot of things have gone wrong so far. If Vientos can keep hitting, he’ll stay in the lineup regardless.
“The injuries for sure suck. I’m not too happy about those,” Vientos said. “I just feel like if I trust my process and my routine throughout the season, eventually I’m going to come through and I’m going to do my thing.”