Mark Vientos hasn’t dazzled in his restricted publicity to first base, however there’s a measure of confidence inside the group he can deal with the place if wanted.
The Mets’ choice in latest days to maneuver away from a reunion with Pete Alonso, after the slugging first baseman rejected the staff’s final provide — a three-year deal within the $68 million to $70 million vary, in response to The Put up’s Joel Sherman — has left Vientos as a major candidate for a transfer throughout the infield this season.
Vientos’ first base expertise consists of 14 video games within the main leagues and 70 within the minors.
“He wasn’t very good at first base,” a scout from a Nationwide League staff mentioned Friday. “But I thought he had a chance to be better there than at third.”
Vientos emerged because the Mets’ on a regular basis third baseman final season, and the Statcast numbers had been underwhelming defensively: He was minus-seven in outs above common, which positioned him in MLB’s sixth percentile for vary.
Vientos compensated considerably with arm energy that positioned him within the 62nd percentile.
However Vientos’ blemishes had been straightforward to dismiss as a result of he largely succeeded in making the routine play and his bat supplied heft in a lineup that wanted it.
“I haven’t seen him a lot at first base, but Mark puts a lot of work in so I think wherever he is and wherever he ends up, I think he will be just fine,” Mets infield coach Mike Sarbaugh advised The Put up.
“Last season helped build confidence with him that, ‘Hey, I am able to do this’ — that was the first time he had ever played third on an everyday basis. It was kind of unchartered water for him from the standpoint of doing it on a daily basis, and he handled it and I think that is only going to make him better moving forward.”
Vientos, in response to Sarbaugh, has continued to work out at third base this winter.
If wanted, his transformation into a daily first baseman would happen throughout spring coaching.
Sarbaugh lately spent a day in Orlando, Fla., watching Vientos and Francisco Lindor work out.
Lindor labored out with Vientos and Brett Baty final winter as each prospects had been making ready to battle for the third base job in spring coaching.
“When [Lindor] came to camp last year, I felt like he was ready for the season to start. He was in such good shape,” Sarbaugh mentioned. “[Lindor] is a good player for Mark to be around.”
Vientos, in 454 plate appearances final season for the Mets, produced a .266/.322/.516 slash line with 27 homers and 71 RBIs.
Vientos acquired his alternative after Baty struggled over the primary six weeks of the season and was demoted to Triple-A Syracuse.
It was Baty’s anemic bat greater than his glove that sealed his destiny final season.
However in a state of affairs wherein Vientos turned the full-time first baseman, Baty once more would doubtlessly be in play for one more shot at third.
Sarbaugh was requested what he deemed the largest problem for a participant transferring throughout the infield to first base.
“I just feel like it’s knowing where to go, where to be, the internal clock,” Sarbaugh mentioned. “Just anything, you move to second base or shortstop, there’s always those things you haven’t experienced, so having to go through those. Those are things [Vientos] would have to entertain, but I feel that anything that is out there he can handle.”
