New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos is caught up in the mix of three positions he can man in the 2024 MLB season. While he made his most appearances at DH in 2023, third base is where he saw the most time in the field. Vientos also has the range to slide over to first, which he’s done in 10 games for the Mets and 26 games for the Syracuse Mets in Triple-A.
Mets: Mark Vientos is willing to continue at DH next season
The Mets could use a strong bat at designated hitter, which Vientos is open to owning, with ever-so-sure confidence that his power will enable him to send bombs into the stands and in between outfielders to generate runs for the team.
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Vientos said that if the Mets “want me at DH,” he’s willing to play DH, justifying his stance by exclaiming:
“I am a power hitter, I can hit the ball [hard],” Vientos said. “That was what was going through my head, so I was like, ‘OK, just let me keep hitting home runs.’ ”
Vientos hit nine home runs in 65 games with a .367 slug percentage. Had he played the bulk of the Mets’ 162-game schedule, he’d have well been on pace to reach at least 20 homers on the year.
Vientos’ raw power is something to marvel at
Also, Vientos has a 92.5 mph average exit velocity and 51 percent hard-hit percentage, the former of which would have put him in the 94th percentile among all sluggers and the latter of which above the 88th percentile.
Clearly, Vientos has the power to increase as a dynamic DH for the Mets moving forward. Where Mets head coach Carlos Mendoza places him will be up to his discretion, but after batting well in run-throughs this winter, Spring Training will provide a good feel for Vientos’ season outlook.
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