Since he was drafted by the New York Mets in the second round of the 2017, Mark Vientos has typically been a slow starter. In fact, since he’s been drafted his first month of the season has always been where he’s posted his lowest OPS for the season.

However, when he breaks out, he does big time. After the early season struggles, Vientos just mashes. We might’ve hit that point early this season.

Over the first seven games, he was only 3-for-20 with two doubles, three walks, and five strikeouts. He had five total bases.

In the April 14 game against the Columbus Clippers, Vientos matched his season total base total. A large part of that was this big home run:

Mark Vientos, @SyracuseMets, home run (1) pic.twitter.com/vDVPuunP1k

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 15, 2022

That three run homer was the third straight time Vientos had reached base on the night. It had also tied the score in the fifth in a game Syracuse would eventually lose 11-5.

Vientos would finish the game 2-for-3 with a homer, a walk, and three RBI.

This marked the fifth straight game Vientos has reached safely. It’s the second time over the last three games he’s recorded an extra base hit. He’s also drawn a walk in consecutive games and in three of the last four.

Perhaps just as important is the fact Vientos has now had three straight games without a strikeout. His 28.7% strikeout rate in 2021 was a bit troublesome, and it was an area he needed to show improvement to take the next step in his career.

It’s small sample, but we’re seeing Vientos make adjustments. Recently, he’s walking more and striking out less. In fact, over his last four games, he has only one strikeout while walking five times.

All told, Vientos has been trending up, and now, he’s had the big breakout game in 2022. Now, it’s just time to see how long he can sustain it.