The 5 most important Mets who have to prove they belong in the big leagues

2) Mark Vientos

It’s easy to find a place for Baty on this roster. What about Mark Vientos? The less-talented defensive player who has become more of a first baseman/DH should enter the third base competition even more with Mauricio out. If he came away as the winner, it would be one of the ultimate upsets of the spring.

Vientos, much like Baty, didn’t exactly win over anyone with his offensive output. He did finish strong. In far fewer chances, he was able to outperform Baty in several areas. The shortcomings are still ever-present with Vientos. A lack of position and some very pedestrian offensive numbers have him on the outs when it comes to finding a specific role with this team.

The final month of the season could be a closer preview of the best Vientos has to offer. He slashed .230/.280/.460 in those final 93 plate appearances while adding 6 of his 9 home runs. The Mets were unafraid to open up playing time for him in those final days of the 2023 season. After a frustrating year where he rode the bench plenty upon his initial call up, the consistent playing time seemed to make a difference.

As positive as it was, it wasn’t nearly good enough to anoint him with a roster spot. His future will rely heavily on what the plan is at the DH spot. It’s the only reasonable place to give him regular at-bats.