Letter by rising Mets star showed he can replace Pete Alonso beyond the box score

There are those who “get it” and those who don’t. This can apply anywhere. When it comes to New York Mets baseball, Mark Vientos is one of those guys who fully understands the situation.

Vientos virtually penned a letter to Mets fans on the Player’s Tribune this week discussing the season and his feelings about the season. As honest and heartfelt as it gets, Vientos discussed everything that made the year so memorable.

Especially notable from the story was this line: “I gotta say … it feels like I was born to be a New York Met.” Indeed. Something clicked with Vientos beyond his on the field ability. Vientos is a true Mets player. If he’s going to replace Pete Alonso, this story shows he can do it beyond shifting over to first base and putting up crooked numbers in the box score.

Mark Vientos’ letter to Mets fans showed a lot of heart for a young player

Mets fans tend to be overenthusiastic about putting a C on someone’s jersey. A young Alonso was thought of as a future captain of the team. Back in 2019 when he debuted, Alonso did everything right. He was a core player almost immediately. It had as much to do with his ability at the plate as it did his personality and love of the city.

Vientos didn’t have the same chance to immediately become a beloved member of the Mets. A sneak preview in 2022 followed by a few more chances in 2023 but not enough consistent playing time, the guy had to fight to remain in the big leagues. He was their most consistent hitter all year, even more so than Francisco Lindor who started off slowly. Thoughts of him becoming the team’s new first baseman if Alonso leaves in free agency will be discussed plenty this offseason. Who knew he had some personality mojo to go along with it?

Fans naturally responded to the story with cries for Vientos to get what’s coming to him: a contract extension.

Others just voiced their unconditional love.

Then there was one fan who pointed out how this is all a part of a bigger scheme.

The culture of the Mets changed this year from LOLMets to something much different. Yeah, there were gimmicks and a couple of them were incredibly lame. The atmosphere around the players stayed consistent. Jose Iglesias, J.D. Martinez, and Jesse Winker all played a part. So did the starting pitching duo of Sean Manaea and Luis Severino who came to Queens with low expectations only to have their best seasons in quite some time.

Vientos has bought into what veterans like those guys instilled. He is, as he said in his own words, born to be a Met.