Mark Vientos talks possibility of being Mets' main DH in 2024
One of the biggest questions of the Mets’ offseason is who their everyday designated hitter will be.
Will they go out there and find a veteran bat like a Jorge Soler or J.D. Martinez, or will they look from within?
As we get closer to the start of spring training, it seems the Mets are making it clear they hope to find their DH among their ranks, including Mark Vientos.
Vientos, 24, arrived early at the Mets' spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla. on Monday to get some work in before the team officially gets together on Feb. 19. When asked about the fact that the Mets haven’t signed a DH this offseason and that the job could be his, Vientos was confident.
“I’m happy for the opportunity. I’m ready for the opportunity,” Vientos told SNY on Monday. “I’m just going to go out there and do my thing.”
Vientos spent parts of the last two seasons in the big leagues with the Mets. He played in 65 games in the majors in 2023, but it came with mixed results. After a slow May and June, the right-handed hitter came alive later in the season as he got more consistent playing time.
Although it was an uneven year for Vientos, he learned quite a bit in 2023 and looks to use that to catapult him in 2024.
“[I learned to] Just go out there and have fun, and play the game. I’ve been playing for a while now and enjoy the process,” he said. “I feel like towards the end of the season I started to realize, ‘Just go have fun and have fun with your boys and play the game.’”
Vientos finished the 2023 season slashing .211/.253/.367 with an OPS of .620 while hitting nine home runs and driving in 22 runs, punctuated by a strong September where he mashed six homers and drove in 11.
He did so while serving as the DH and also getting time at third base and first base.
Defense is another aspect of Vientos’ game that he’s trying to improve. He took the first steps toward doing so this offseason when he worked with Francisco Lindor on his fielding in Puerto Rico.
“The big thing I always say is learn,” Vientos said. “I’m trying to soak as much info as possible. I want to be a sponge.”
