For most teams, having multiple players worthy of being a starter at the same position is a good problem to have. For the Mets, such a scenario is causing frustration.
Both Mark Vientos and Brett Baty are expected to share playing time at third base, but the argument can be made that one currently deserves to start more than the other. Both players bring strengths and weaknesses to the position. Vientos has more power at the plate, but Baty is better defensively and is viewed by most evaluators to have a higher upside.
Baty got off to a terrific start to his 2024 season, batting .327 through the first two weeks of the season. However, since hamstring tightness forced him out of a game on April 16—and out of the starting lineup for the next three games—Baty has struggled at the plate. Since that game where he got hurt, Baty has batted .165 in 27 games.
Of particular concern is the rate in which Baty is striking out. From April to May, his strikeout rate has more than doubled, from 14% last month to 39% this month. Another issue is his lack of solid contact when he is putting the bat on the ball. He is ranked last out of 220 eligible hitters when it comes to squared-up contact rate, at just 18.9%, according to Statcast.
One thing that has remained consistent for Baty so far in 2024 has been his fielding. After struggling at the position through his first two seasons in the majors, Baty looks much more comfortable at the hot corner. While he still has -1 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) this season, it is a significant improvement from the -5 he put up in 2023.
Despite failing to make the opening-day roster, Vientos has thrived this season at the plate, both in Triple-A and in the majors. In 31 minor league games this season, he is batting .285, with a .376 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. His power has already translated to the major league team this year, as he has put up a slash line of .357/.419/.714 across 28 at-bats. He already has more doubles on this season (four) than Baty (three) and almost as many home runs, with two to Baty’s three.
While Vientos does not bring the same caliber of defense that Baty has, it would seem likely that Vientos will continue to get more playing time if he continues to hit well and Baty keeps struggling. Despite the fact that the Mets faced right-handed starting pitchers in each of their last two games, the left-handed hitting Baty was on the bench and the right-handed hitting Vientos got the start in both. Vientos had three hits in seven at-bats, including a home run and two doubles, in the two games.
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