Could this NY Mets lineup shakeup improve the team's ability to hit with RISP?

The New York Mets as a team are hitting .224 with runners in scoring position this season, 26th in MLB. As fun as the 28-16 start has been, this has been a frustrating, ongoing issue through a quarter of the season. Carlos Mendoza’s lineup could use some sort of shakeup to get the offense going, something similar to moving Francisco Lindor up to the leadoff spot a year ago. This year that move should be reuniting Mark Vientos and the two-hole.

Moving Mark Vientos to the two-hole would make the Mets lineup even deeper.

Vientos has regained his 2024 form as of late hitting .307 with five home runs and 16 RBI over his last 27 games. Last season Vientos did his best work when batting second and putting him back in that spot could help the Mets woes with runners in scoring position.

There’s no doubt Vientos would see better pitches while batting second. Pitchers are going to want to challenge the young guy with Juan Soto and Pete Alonso looming, like what Soto saw in 2024 hitting in front of Aaron Judge. Last season Vientos was third on the team with a .327 on base percentage, combining that with Lindor’s .364 OBP this season and that could be a recipe for success with the big guys coming up behind them.

Alonso is the only Met who has thrived in those situations, hitting .366 with 15 hits and four home runs. With a team high 36 RBI, Alonso hitting cleanup would give him even more chances to do damage and put the three guys that get on base the most ahead of him.

Even though Vientos has seemed to emerge from his slump, he is hitting just .143 with runners in scoring position, the worst on the team. Putting him second in the lineup would relieve some of the pressure in those situations and allow him to have more success. Batting fifth or sixth in the order, he knows the bottom of the lineup is coming up.

You are what the numbers say you are and through 44 games the Mets issues with runners in scoring position have become a decently large sample size. It’s time for the coaching staff to consider a shakeup and moving Vientos to a familiar role might just do the trick.