Mark

Vientos

Vientos has had a miserable spring, going 1-for-25 (.040) in eight contests with the Mets, following a forgettable stint with Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic. The 26-year-old figures to open the regular season in a platoon role with Brett Baty at DH and his fantasy value is almost nonexistent in shallow mixed leagues.

Vientos has been ice cold at the plate during his time in Mets’ camp, hitting a woeful .048 (1-for-21) with a 4/0 K/BB ratio. With Brett Baty hitting the ball so well this spring, it’s possible that he pushes Vientos for at-bats if his struggles linger into the start of the regular season.

It’s rather odd seeing Vientos, the one active major leaguer in Nicaragua’s lineup, batting fifth behind Ismael Munguia and Emanuel Trujillo. Still, that all worked out today. Munguia, who hit .246/.313/.342 for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate last season, went 3-for-3 with a walk, and Trujillo, who has never played in the U.S., homered to plate both of Nicaragua’s runs.

Vientos’s three balls in play today were all in the 103-105 mph range, though one was turned into a GIDP. He’s going to need more days like this as he tries to show the Mets he deserves to keep playing against righties. The hit today was his first in 14 plate appearances this spring.

Tauchman hit .263/.356/.400 for the White Sox last year and has averaged a .359 OBP and 1.4 fWAR per year as a platoon guy the last three seasons, but no major league offers were forthcoming, it seems. He seems like a nice get for the Mets as a DH and fallback right field option against right-handers, though there might not be room for him if Carson Benge makes the team. If they do somehow carry both Benge and Tauchman, that’d be more bad news for Mark Vientos.

This fits with the Mets’ stated goal this offseason to improve their team defense. Vientos has been a below-average defender for much of his professional career, but he also took a step back offensively this year, hitting .233/.289/.413 with 17 home runs and 61 RBI in 121 games. He did make more contact, lowering his strikeout rate below 25 percent, but he was essentially a league-average player for the Mets. With Brett Baty outplaying Vientos at third base and Jorge Polanco now in town, there may not be room for Vientos, so the Mets could deal him to acquire an impact starting pitcher.

There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong physically with the 25-year-old slugger, it’s just a routine night off. Francisco Alvarez will slide into the designated hitter spot in the Mets’ lineup while Luis Torrens will start behind the dish and bat ninth against Marlins’ right-hander Sandy Alcantara.

Vientos was called out by the first base ump on a borderline check swing call to end the sixth and then was tossed by the home plate ump for slamming his bat into the ground, even though he held on to the bat and didn’t toss it. It’s not the kind of thing that typically gets one ejected. Vientos was serving as a DH today, so the Mets didn’t have to immediately replace him.

Vientos will get a breather after scuffling over the last handful of games for the Mets. The 25-year-old will take a seat with Starling Marte hitting fifth as the designated hitter and Brett Baty the starting third baseman.

Vientos hit a 412-foot homer off David Robertson. That ball left his bat at 110 mph, and he also had a strong 103-mph lineout in the eighth. Vientos is batting .277/.329/.582 with 11 homers in 39 games during the second half.