TAMPA — Mark Vientos has never been short on confidence. It was on full display Friday at George M. Steinbrenner Field when he homered off Yankees right-hander Luis Gil, hours after being informed that the Mets signed J.D. Martinez as the right-handed designated hitter, the same position he was set to play this season.
“He has continued to have good results,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the Mets fell, 5-3. “With all the rumors and all that, it was good to see him going out there continuing to do what he’s been doing. He can stay in control by going out there and performing.”
Vientos didn’t have much to say about the addition of Martinez. His demeanor in the game didn’t change, but his body language after he came out read like anyone who had suffered a gut punch of that magnitude.
“Not really any reaction,” he said. “Nice. Good for the team.”
The 24-year-old Vientos grew up a Mets fan in Florida and was drafted by the Mets in the second round in 2017. The organization developed him as a third baseman, but with Brett Baty manning third base last year and Pete Alonso blocking him at first, he became a man without a position.
Between suboptimal defense, inconsistent playing time and a couple of Triple-A demotions, Vientos had a tough rookie season. But the Mets liked the power he showed late last summer. They liked it enough to experiment with using him as a right-handed DH in 2024. It’s a risky move to have a young, developing player taken off defense, but with Baty also coming off a challenging rookie season, the Mets thought they could make it work if they had Vientos spelling him at third.
Vientos spent the offseason working on improving every aspect of his game, training with Francisco Lindor in Orlando and arriving to camp before just about anyone else. The player they call “Swaggy V” did everything that was asked of him, only to be left in limbo about his role with a few days left of spring training.
You can understand if he didn’t exactly feel like elaborating on his performance Friday.
Vientos is hitting .222 with a .787 OPS and a team-leading five home runs in Grapefruit League play. He’s done all he could do to show the Mets that he belongs, but it’s tough for a rookie to compete with a six-time All-Star like Martinez.
“The opportunity I got, I feel like I made the most of it,” Vientos said.
Martinez still has to pass his physical before the signing can be made official. Having been unsigned all spring, he’ll need at-bats in extended spring training before he can join the Mets. The Mets may choose to carry Vientos on the big league roster for the first week or so of the season while Martinez preps.
It’s an uncomfortable situation for all involved, but Vientos has made it known that he isn’t about to back down in the face of adversity.
“I know sometimes it’s not the news that we want to hear and things like that, but that’s the business,” Mendoza said. “I thought for him to go out there today, have that type of game and put a good swing on a fastball like that, it was good to see.”
HOMECOMING
Mendoza’s first game back at Steinbrenner Stadium was “strange.” The former Yankees bench coach was a popular fixture during his 14 years with the organization and his family still calls Tampa home.
Mendoza’s wife, Francis, and two sons, Andres and Adrian, were in attendance for the spring training edition of the Subway Series on Friday. With the kids finishing the school year in Tampa and Mendoza working on the other side of the state in Port St. Lucie, the Mets’ overnight trip to Tampa was a rare opportunity for the family to spend time together.
“A lot of relationships were built here,” he said. “I’m not talking about just the personnel, but I’m talking about the grounds crew, everyone in baseball operations and stadium operations. So it was weird but exciting.”
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
Right-hander Tyler Stuart, who reached Double-A Binghamton last season, pitched three innings in his first Grapefruit League start, allowing two earned runs on three hits and walking two. He struck out one, but it was a memorable strikeout, getting Aaron Judge to swing through a full-count changeup with one on and two out.
Minor league pitchers Hunter Parsons, Joshua Cornielly and Paul Gervase each recorded scoreless innings.
