Mark Vientos, Photo by Richard Nelson
Mark Vientos was drafted in the second round of the 2017 draft as a shortstop. Back then, the New York Mets knew he was going to need a position change, and now, almost six years later, the Mets are still unsure what position Vientos should play.
Some of those answers have already been provided to them. Vientos has not been good at third base. As we have seen the ascension of Brett Baty, we have seen the organization prefers him at third. However they feel about both at third, with Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor, there is absolutely no room for either of them on the left side of the Mets infield for the foreseeable future.
The Correa signing accelerated position changes for Baty and Vientos. Presumably, Baty is going to move to left, and ultimately, Vientos appears as if he is going to be a DH. Certainly, that is the role he filled when he was called up to the Mets last season, but as an organization, the Mets need to question if that is the best handling and use of Vientos as he begins the year in Triple-A.
Looking forward to 2023, the Mets need to best position their top prospects to be in a position to help the Major League roster in the even they are needed. Looking at Vientos and his skill set, he should be working to play first base because that is just about the only position in the field he seems able to play.
And Mark Vientos solidly handled his first in-game chance at first base. https://t.co/HpHZ2xPcX1 pic.twitter.com/gEik2K9x8z
— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) March 2, 2021
Giving credit to the Mets, they did acknowledge that somewhat last season having Vientos play 27 games at first base. It is a move which makes sense because he does have the tools to be a good first baseman. Notably, Vientos’ defensive issues have most been with respect to his range. However, he has shown soft hands with an ability to make the routine plays and field the ball within his range.
There is every reason to believe he can play the position, and in Triple-A, he can receive the coaching necessary to get him up to speed at the position. That goes double with him having some experience there. We have also seen Vientos has the type of bat you want from your first baseman.
If we are being honest, first base is a position where your bat can carry you in the lineup. As an organization, the Mets need not look any further than Pete Alonso. For most of his career, Alonso has had a negative OAA while having a 120 wRC+ in every season, and a 133 or higher in three out of his four Major League seasons.
Speaking of Alonso, the Mets have been blessed with his durability. The Mets have really not needed to deal with an injury to him. However, we did see some close calls last season with pitches high-and-in to Alonso with his c-flap protecting him from severe injury.
Put another way, while the Mets can rely on Alonso playing everyday, they need to put themselves in a position to handle a potential freak injury. Looking at the 40 man roster, Vientos could arguably be best suited to take over for Alonso at first should he ever need to go on the IL.
Speaking of Alonso’s availability to play first, he will be a free agent after the 2024 season. Mets fans universally believe the organization will lock him up to join Brandon Nimmo as a Met for life, but at one time, fans also believed Jacob deGrom would spend his entire career with the Mets.
All told, if Vientos has a future with the Mets, it is likely going to be as a DH. However, before the time comes for him to be an everyday DH, there remains a possibility he will be needed to play first base. The Mets should prepare for that eventuality, or in the eventuality the Mets would look to trade Vientos, he would have far more value as a first base prospect than a DH prospect.
