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Mets Select High School 3B Mark Vientos In Second Round

By Jacob Resnick

June 12, 2017 1 Comment

After taking college southpaw David Peterson in the first round on Monday, the New York Mets selected high school infielder Mark Vientos with their second round pick of the 2017 MLB Draft. Vientos, who attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, FL, is a raw prospect but has a lot of potential.

His power is very projectable with a large frame and room for more strength. He was ranked 67th on MLB.com’s top 200 draft prospects list.

Vientos is committed to the University of Miami.

Baseball America

Even as an underclassman, Vientos was well-known for the huge upside in his bat. Before transferring to American Heritage, Vientos participated in the 2016 National High School Invitational with Pembroke Pines, Fla.’s Flanagan High where he showed rare ability to impact the baseball. On the summer showcase circuit the following summer, Vientos consistently hit the ball hard and that hasn’t stopped this spring. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Vientos has a projectable body that should add even more strength. He has thunderous hands and he’s able to generate explosive bat speed without loading his hands deeply. He’s able to drive the ball with backspin to the gaps and he projects for at least plus power as he learns to loft the ball more.

Defensively, Vientos is unlikely to stay at shortstop, lacking the glove actions or body control typically found at the position. He’s also a well below-average runner. His plus arm strength leads scouts to project him moving to third base or a corner outfield spot.Vientos is one of the youngest prospects in the class and won’t turn 18 until December. He is committed to Miami, but his loud offensive skillset and youth are likely to entice a team to pick him on the first day of the draft.

MLB Pipeline

Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Vientos entered the spring as one of the more intriguing high school bats in the country, one who many thought had first-round potential. An up-and-down spring has made him a bit more of a polarizing prospect than that, with opinions on him varying greatly.

Vientos’ offensive potential is what had scouts interested in the first place, so if you saw him when he was swinging the bat well, you like him. He hasn’t done that as consistently as some would have liked to see. He does show good bat speed and has definite power potential from the right side of the plate. Vientos isn’t overly athletic, so even though he plays shortstop for his high school team at American Heritage, he will likely have to move to third at the next level, with some thinking he has the hands and arm strength to handle the hot corner.

Vientos did miss some time this spring with a quad injury, but he certainly has been seen enough over the summer and at events like the National High School Invitational. He reminds some of Manny Machado in terms of body type, and he’s also drawn a Michael Morse in high school comp. A team believing his bat will play will give the Miami commit a shot in the opening few rounds.

Keith Law

Vientos is one of the more promising prep bats in the class, with good bat speed and big rotation for future power. He’ll be just 17½ years at the draft, and he looks it, with a young body that offers a ton of physical projection. He’s a shortstop now but almost certainly moves off the position to third or second, and he’s a below-average runner who needs to get a lot stronger.

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