David Lennon: Which version of Mark Vientos will the Mets see in 2026?
Mark Vientos at Mets spring training. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
TAMPA, Fla. — Mark Vientos revisited the scene of what could only be described as a career car crash Sunday when the Mets rolled into Steinbrenner Field.
This was his first time back here since his spring training dream of starting on Opening Day with the 2024 Mets — seemingly a slam dunk for the first five weeks of camp — abruptly imploded with the team’s surprise signing of J.D. Martinez to a one-year, $12 million deal.
Not that Vientos considered his spot guaranteed. Any player with minor-league options is always vulnerable as the Grapefruit League winds down. But Vientos had led the Mets with five homers, and most believed he had shown enough at the plate to earn the DH spot among the in-house candidates.
Problem was, the price kept dropping for Martinez, a three-time Silver Slugger coming off a 33-homer, .893 OPS season for the Dodgers, until owner Steve Cohen couldn’t resist ponying up just 48 hours before the Mets were scheduled to head north. It was that close.
Next was Vientos standing against a white cinderblock wall, obviously struggling to keep his responses in check, trying to avoid saying something he’d regret.
The best he could manage was a somber: “Good for the team.”
Two years later, Vientos, now 26, was in the same visitors’ clubhouse Sunday but in a much different place.
He started against the Yankees at first base, where he’s expected to get most of his time during spring training, and also will be in the DH mix. He is out of minor-league options, which basically forces the Mets to keep him on the big-league roster or trade him (he’d already be gone if there had been a deal to David Stearns’ liking in the offseason).
As for the fallout from that Steinbrenner Field shocker, Vientos was able to move past that deflating news in productive fashion.
“Looking back, it was just part of the plan,” he told Newsday before the Mets’ 6-4 win over the Yankees. “The process that was given to me, and I felt like it turned out pretty good.”
Not right away. In the span of those two days, Vientos first was hit with the Martinez signing, then was demoted as the Mets opted to go with the lefty-swinging DJ Stewart at DH until Martinez got up to speed in the minors. That kicked off some early shuttling for Vientos between Syracuse and Flushing, but once he stuck, the legend of Swaggy V was born.
From May 15 on, Vientos’ .830 OPS was second only to Francisco Lindor (.911), and his 26 homers (in 108 games) tied Lindor for the Mets’ lead.
Vientos followed that up with a monster October, hitting .327 with five homers, 14 RBIs and a .998 OPS to spur the Mets’ giddy romp through NLCS Game 6.
Based on Vientos’ crushing low point to begin the season, it was a remarkable lesson in perseverance. Every time he was dropped to Triple-A, he answered by hammering his way back up to the Mets. That’s hardly automatic in this profession, but Vientos definitely has shown he can take a punch and keep swinging.
“I think it’s just knowing how good of a player you are,” he said. “Trusting the process and being ready when you get the opportunity.”
And because none of this has been a straight line for Vientos, he’s in comeback mode again this year, trying to put another disappointing chapter behind him. He was unable to channel that 2024 magic, delivering an encore performance that fell relatively flat (.233 batting average, 17 homers, .702 OPS).
Now Vientos is gunning to show that he’s no fluke, no one-year wonder. And from what he’s displayed in previous years, when given the chance, he punches back harder once he’s been knocked down.
“We just want to see the Mark Vientos that offensively can carry a team,” manager Carlos Mendoza said before Sunday’s game. “He’s a guy that can hit a fastball as good as anyone in the league, but he struggled a little bit last year with that pitch and then he starts chasing. I think it just comes down to controlling at-bats, dictating at-bats . . . for him to be that offensive player that we all know he’s capable of being.”
Vientos did show a noticeable dip across the board in the fastball department. His batting average (.236) and slugging percentage (.441) against fastballs were down last year as opposed to the previous season (.326 and .615).
But he still makes damaging contact — above the 80th percentile last season in both average exit velo and hard-hit percentage — so the ’24 version of Vientos is in there. It’s just a matter of finding that guy again on a more consistent basis.
“I’ve got to have the same routine and just stick to it,” Vientos said. “A routine that you’re able to fall back on when things go wrong, then trust it to get me back on track.”
Vientos already has done that before, shining under the New York spotlight before taking over the October stage. As for handling first base, he has made only 12 career MLB starts there, but that’s still a dozen more than presumptive starter Jorge Polanco and Brett Baty.
Not exactly an experienced crew at the position, and if Vientos can fix himself offensively, he could become a valuable piece again.
“If I’m on the field, I’m going to play hard and try to do my best for the team, whether it’s here or anywhere else,” he said.
It won’t be Syracuse. Not anymore.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
