HOUSTON — With the Mets garnering more attention than they have in nearly a decade, much of the discussion this spring has been about how to manage the expectations and the added pressure that comes along with being a contending team in New York City that boasts one of the games greats, Juan Soto. But if there’s one player the Mets know will meet the moment, it’s Mark Vientos.
The third baseman has never been at a loss for confidence. Even when he seemingly had no position to play and when he was competing against one of his best friends, Brett Baty. Last year, he went through spring training thinking he would have a spot on his first Opening Day roster, only to be supplanted by J.D. Martinez the week before the start of the regular season.
The player called “Swaggy V” ended up having a breakout season in 2024, hitting 27 home runs in the regular season and five in the postseason, showing the baseball world that maybe he shouldn’t be counted out.
“I think someone that is confident is someone that deals with tons of failure and still manages to break through and succeed,” Vientos recently told the Daily News. “There’s nothing harder than when you’re failing, and you feel so far away and it’s like, ‘Do I just like, stop? Like, this is not working.’ I came to points where, yeah, I just thought, ‘This isn’t working.’ But I just kept pushing…
“I’m glad I did, because I’m in the spot I am now.”
The spot he is now is batting cleanup and playing third base every day. It wasn’t long ago that the Mets questioned whether or not he could manage the hot corner daily, but then the Mets needed offense and they had to trust that he was ready to handle the workload.
Defense and baserunning are still areas of his game he’s working on, but the Mets are happy with the progress he’s made. But they’ve also eliminated the guesswork for him. No longer is the threat there that he could be demoted to the minor leagues depending if the Mets pick up an infielder on waivers, or if he starts to slump.
“Being assured of his spot on the team has helped him in many ways,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “He knows he has a place here on the team, and now he’s just got to go out there and work on some of the things he needs to be working on, and go from there.”
It took Vientos a long time to understand that talent alone isn’t enough to succeed in the major leagues. The repetitiveness of the game got monotonous at times, which left him unprepared for when things didn’t go according to plan.
And then at a certain point, he grew frustrated that he wasn’t breaking through to the big leagues. He wanted to be ready to make an impact right away. He wanted to be a complete player immediately. But he had to learn that baseball doesn’t work that way.
“Only took me eight years to finally understand,” Vientos said. “But it’s understanding and being patient. Just understanding that if you try even harder, it’s going to be even harder for you. It’s like, just let your work and your routine take care of itself, and you’re going to be there to help your team. It’s not trying to do too much. I feel like years before, I would put all of this stress on myself, like, I need to be this right now, or I need to be that right now…
“But it just takes time.”
It’s Vientos’ time to shine. If there is any pressure on him to follow up a strong 2024 campaign, he isn’t feeling it.
“I don’t think pressure is a word for him, especially after what we saw in the playoffs,” Mendoza said. “There, you could talk about pressure with the way it was applied and how he handled it. Do we think he’s going to struggle? Everybody will struggle, so it’s just a matter of making those adjustments and continuing to fight through it.”
The good thing is that Vientos isn’t satisfied. He knows that one season means nothing. The work is repetitive for a reason. The routines are crucial for proper preparation. Advice from older players like Francisco Lindor, and his observations of players like Soto, and his success last season have helped drive this home.
As he starts the 2025 season, he’s eager for more.
“I feel like I have a lot to prove,” he said. “I feel like I have a lot of high expectations for myself, and I’m never satisfied.”
