Rising Mets star hasn't gotten enough national attention in the playoffs

October makes baseball stars. A big postseason can help any average player elevate to the next level. It’s a chance for established players to cement their legacy. In back-to-back series, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso have given the New York Mets two new all-time great moments.

The when matters as much as the what. Endy Chavez’s catch in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, for instance, would have been one of the most memorable moments in MLB history and not just that of the Mets if the game ended differently. Could this be why, despite being one of the hottest hitters this postseason, rising Mets star Mark Vientos doesn’t seem to be getting much attention at all?

Is Mark Vientos getting overlooked this postseason?

Going 12 for 28 with team-best 7 RBI through as many games, Vientos has been the best hitter of all for the Mets. His .429/.467/.714 slash line is remarkable for a kid who came into this year without the expectation of being the starter at third base. Easily one of the most important hitters for the Mets all year, it’s par for the course to see him not get much attention at all outside of Mets fans.

Vientos’ two big home runs happened to come in their lone loss to the Philadelphia Phillies which doesn’t help give him the same kind of highlights as Alonso or Lindor. A fielding error that cost them the only run allowed in Game 4 was a strike against him, too. He has seen plenty of strikes this postseason. He has struck out a whopping 10 times. The good still far outweighs the bad. 

Vientos has been on a tear lately. All four games against the Phillies were multi-hit performances. During this crazy Mets run, it’s easy to forget he was the one who knocked in the first run of Game 1 when he singled in pinch runner Harrison Bader in the top of the 8th inning. On a playoff team where hits have been difficult to come by outside of a couple of timely swings, Vientos has differentiated himself from the pack.

So why, after 7 games and a hit in all but one of them has he not been front and center? On a team with more well-known players coming up with big hits themselves, it’s easy to understand. Something else may be at play, too.

Why Mets slugger Mark Vientos isn't getting much attention

A sophomore rather than a rookie, there was no hype about what Vientos was doing in the regular season. He lacks some of those skills the superstar youngsters have. He isn’t fast. He doesn’t field his position well. The 24-year-old slugger won fans by swatting home runs with regularity. Because he missed the first month and a half, the total wasn’t there amongst the best in baseball. It’s easy to get overlooked this way.

At the rate he’s going, Vientos is going to become one of the next big New York sports stars. Quietly inserted in the lineup regularly second, third, or fourth, getting overlooked as a non-dangerous member of the Mets might still be to their benefit. Surely, the opposing teams know about him. Or do they not? Apparently, teams missed a memo somewhere. Or maybe he is this great. He hasn’t gone a game in the playoffs without at least one strikeout which has pitchers attacking him. Vientos has drawn only two walks as well.

Vientos has looked confident, though. He’s handling the pressure. Unlike some other young players on the rise who had to lead their team in recent years or were expected to be the best hitter in the lineup, Vientos has the luxury of falling behind the established players on the Mets roster. It’s helping him to remain our deadly little secret.