Mark Vientos Homers in Mets Win After Being Called Up

The News

The Mets called up Mark Vientos, a power-hitting infielder, in hopes of sparking their flagging offense.

Vientos, 23, was hitting .333 with 13 house runs, 37 runs batted in and a 1.104 on-base plus slugging share in 38 video games for Class AAA Syracuse this season — he had gone 2 for five with a house run in Tuesday night time’s loss.

He began at third base for the Mets in Wednesday’s recreation in opposition to the Tampa Bay Rays at Citi Field, giving Brett Baty a time without work. He batted eighth, one spot forward of catcher Francisco Álvarez.

Baty, Álvarez and Vientos are a part of a brand new technology of Mets gamers that the crew hopes can finally take over for higher-priced free brokers. And their potential was on show in Wednesday’s recreation, as Vientos hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning and Álvarez hit a game-tying three-run shot in the underside of the ninth. The Mets then received, 8-7, on walk-off three-run homer from Pete Alonso in the tenth.

Why It Matters

Expectations had been sky excessive for the Mets after final yr’s 101-win season and an low season spending spree in which Steven A. Cohen, the crew’s billionaire proprietor, allowed for the payroll to surge to just about $350 million, which can balloon much more down the street because of Major League Baseball’s multi-tier luxurious tax system.

Thus far nearly nothing had gone proper. The Mets entered Wednesday’s recreation with a report of 20-23 — six and a half video games behind Atlanta in the National League East. They had been additionally a recreation and a half behind the Miami Marlins for the N.L.’s third wild-card spot.

The Mets’ greatest downside has been pitching, with their starters combining for a 5.46 E.R.A. coming into Wednesday’s recreation. But offense additionally has been a problem. The crew ranked nineteenth in O.P.S. — a measurement that displays each the crew’s skill to get on base (on-base share) and to hit for energy (slugging share) — twenty first in runs and is tied for twentieth in house runs.

Going Forward

Vientos was solely 17 in 2017 when the Mets made him a second-round pick of American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla. He had a 16-game call-up to the majors final season, and upset by going 6 for 36 with one house run and 12 strikeouts. But he has completely crushed the ball in the excessive minors. In 150 video games at Class AAA over components of the final three seasons, he has hit .294 with 40 house runs and a .566 slugging share.

A below-average runner, he has not displayed a substantial amount of promise defensively, which limits his general worth, and his finest place will most certainly be first base, which the Mets hope will likely be occupied by Alonso for years to return.

Vientos, nevertheless, represents a big offensive improve from the Mets’ most often used participant off the bench, Tommy Pham, who’s hitting .200 in 83 plate appearances. If Vientos can discover common taking part in time, in the infield, the outfield or at designated hitter, the Mets can be counting on three minimum-salary rookies regardless of having the best payroll in M.L.B. historical past.

Neither Baty, who was referred to as up in an identical style to Vientos final season solely to maintain a season-ending damage, nor Álvarez has been significantly spectacular with their bats, however each have held their very own defensively at tough positions, which has helped maintain them in the lineup. Vientos might want to justify his roster spot along with his bat.

On Wednesday he did simply that.