It certainly didn’t take as long for Brett Baty to get promoted to the major leagues as fans initially thought. Baty, the subject of last week’s Minor League Mondays, earned a shot in the major leagues by tearing up AAA pitching with Syracuse. Several of Baty’s teammates have been red-hot at the plate as well, including infielder Mark Vientos, who is the focus of this week’s edition of Minor League Mondays.
Vientos, the Mets’ second-round pick in 2017 out of American Heritage High School in Florida, got a cup of coffee at the major league level last season but failed to make an impact. Manager Buck Showalter was very hesitant to play Vietnos due to his poor defensive ability, which was also the primary reason he didn’t make the team out of camp this year. Vientos did show defensive improvement in spring training but everyone knows that the fastest way for him to make an impact at the big league level is with his bat, specifically in the form of power.
Things have gone very well for Vientos in the offensive department again as he is red-hot to start the season, hitting .346 with five home runs and 13 RBIs over his first 52 at bats with an outstanding 1.109 OPS. The power numbers aren’t new for Vientos, who hit 24 homers over nearly a full season with Syracuse a year ago, but if he is able to maintain an OPS above 1.000 he could force the Mets to re-consider bringing him to the major leagues in spite of his defensive deficiencies.
The main issue for Vientos, who is the Mets’ eighth-rated prospect according to MLB.com, is how he fits on the active roster. Baty’s promotion will likely come at the expense of Tim Locastro, a rarely-used fifth outfielder who they will try to sneak through waivers in order to keep his speed in the organization. There isn’t an easy cut for Vientos right now, who would limit the Mets’ defensive options on the bench since he doesn’t really have a decent position outside of first base, which is primarily occupied by Pete Alonso.
The fact that most teams also carry 13 pitchers hurts Vientos since he would likely be a right-handed DH option if the Mets were able to carry a five-man bench. With Vogelbach and Baty likely to be regular presences in the lineup, the Mets’ current bench would be the backup catcher, versatile infielder Luis Guillorme, fourth outfielder Tommy Pham and veteran Eduardo Escobar, who can switch-hit and play multiple positions.
An injury could create an opportunity for Vientos, particularly if it impacts someone like Pham or Mark Canha, who have been getting the bulk of the at-bats against lefties at DH, or Vogelbach since it would open the DH slot entirely. The other path would be if the Mets end up deciding to move on from Escobar entirely if he can’t get out of his early-season slump, although that appears unlikely for the time being since Escobar is popular in the clubhouse and a favorite of Showalter’s.
The best thing that Vientos can do is continue to improve defensively and maintain his offensive form at the plate with Syracuse. Injuries usually happen throughout the course of a 162-game season so Vientos will likely get an opportunity soon, but having him get everyday reps at AAA isn’t a bad thing for Vientos’ development.
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