2 NY Mets players we'll be thankful for in 2026, 2 who'll sit at the kid's table

Kid's table: Mark Vientos

It all looked so promising. 2024 was a magical year for Vientos, as it was for a lot of Mets. The young prospect finally showed what made him so highly touted, breaking out with a 134 OPS+ and 27 home runs in just 111 games. He looked like a future, if not current, star.

While he wasn't handed a starting job on a silver platter, third base was certainly his to lose. The problem for Vientos is that he lost it.

Despite several short stints of hope, the far majority of the season was a massive letdown. Expectations were sky high, and Vientos responded with a .233 batting average, 97 OPS+, and .179 ISO. These were all steep departures from his 2024 campaign. He went from the prince that was promised, to just another in a rotating cast of he, Brett Baty, and Ronny Mauricio.

The drastic drop-off in both power and average is a massive concern. He plummeted in all phases last season. He's a below-average infielder and produces nothing on the base paths, so if he isn't slugging (or at least contact hitting), he's simply a liability on the roster.

It's entirely possible that Mark isn't in orange and blue much longer. If he fits into a trade package with a worthy return, David Stearns very well might have him on the next plane out of town. But given his trade value has never been lower, it's just as possible that he sticks around.

Now, with the inevitable scrutiny that will be placed on his every at-bat and fielding error, there's a lot of reason for concern. He didn't seem to handle the New York pressure well, and more talented players have failed under less in this city. Let's hope he isn't another in a long line of Met disappointments. But things are trending firmly in that direction.