Last season, the New York Mets got a pleasant surprise with Mark Vientos’ production. In just 110 regular season games, the 25-year-old blasted 27 home runs. He then followed up his terrific regular season with an elite postseason performance. He helped the Mets reach the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers by being one of, if not the best hitter in the postseason. Vientos tallied four home runs with a staggering .327 batting average and a .998 OPS.
The young infielder cemented himself as a big piece in Queens. New York has hesitated to give Pete Alonso a big contract, partially due to having the young slugger under team control for the next few years. Of course, signing Juan Soto also factors into the Mets’ hesitance to give the Polar Bear a big contract. However, if they didn’t have Vientos, their 2025 playoff hopes without Alonso would be in doubt.
Can Mark Vientos become a top hitter in MLB?
Considering the belief the Mets brass has in Vientos, they’re going to bank on him to produce at a high level in 2025. In a full season, it’s not unfair to expect him to have a 30-plus home run season.
Among MLB third basemen in 2024, he tied for the fifth most home runs. Those at the position who hit more all played at least 27 more games than him.
He barrels the ball up extremely well. According to Baseball Savant, his barrel percentage was in the 92nd percentile in 2024. If Vientos started the season at the big league level, it’s hard to imagine him not finishing at least in the top three.
"To be honest with you, I took it personal."
Mark Vientos talks with Tom Verducci about the grand slam after the Mets 7-3 win to even up the series pic.twitter.com/KeJ7QLov7h
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 14, 2024
With Francisco Lindor and Soto likely hitting in front of Vientos, he’ll have an opportunity to record a surplus of runs batted in. Lindor proved to be the best leadoff hitter in MLB and Soto has a staggering .421 on-base percentage throughout his career. Vientos will likely see better pitches to hit with two MVP-caliber hitters in the same lineup. Last season, he posted a .267 batting average. Through four seasons in AAA ball, he posted a .289 batting average. He’s been able to produce at every level in baseball. Although his batting average was good last season, we could certainly see that number improve in 2025.
After last season, Vientos proved he can be a productive hitter. In his first two seasons, he never got a chance to be an everyday player. Once the 25-year-old got that opportunity last season, he ran away with it. Vientos has All-Star written all over him. With his potential, he could cement himself as a top hitter in baseball next season.
