Photo by Ed Delany, MMN

In Baseball America‘s Hot Sheet for the week ending May 19, Columbia Fireflies third baseman Mark Vientos was ranked eighth among a group of the 20 hottest prospects in the minors. Over the past week, Vientos was 10-for-28 at the plate with three doubles, two homers, and and six RBI. As noted by Baseball America, this was not just part of a big week but also part of a much improved May:

The Mets traded some of their better prospects this offseason—righthander Justin Dunn and outfielder Jarred Kelenic chief among them—but the next wave is bubbling at low Class A Columbia. Vientos is part of a pack of talented teenagers with the Fireflies. After a rough April, Vientos has rebounded in May. Buttressed by a strong week, Vientos is hitting .276/.317/.517 in the season’s second month.

So far, slow starts followed by going off on a tear at the plate has been a hallmark of Vientos’ young professional career. After being drafted in 2017, he went from hitting .209/.292/.314 in July to .305/.339/.467 in August. Last year in Kingsport, Vientos hit .258/.343/.419 in June, and he would hit .292/.396/.500 over the final two months of the season.  The pattern is repeating itself now.

When analyzing him, it is important to note Vientos was one of the youngest players drafted in the 2017 draft. It should then come as no surprise he has been one of the younger players at each level he has played. This year, he is 2.5 years younger than the average South Atlantic League player, and he is just outside the top 10 youngest players in the league.

Seeing how Vientos improved as the 2017 and 2018 seasons progressed, this past week may be the tip of the iceberg for the promising young slugger. It will be interesting to see how he and a roster full of teenagers progress as the South Atlantic League season unfolds.