PORT ST. LUCIE — Mark Vientos always knew his opposite-field potential, but in his first tastes of MLB life, that rarely translated into hits. Three of his nine home runs last year went to right-center. A few singles to right. One homer to the area in 2022. That was it.
So when Vientos lofted a ball that tailed toward the right-field line Sunday that eventually settled beyond the fence, manager Carlos Mendoza said it was “good to see.”
Vientos had started slowly in spring training — hitting .143 entering the weekend — before stringing together a 3-for-7 stretch ahead of the Mets’ game Monday against the Marlins at Clover Park, when he was their designated hitter.
The recent success doesn’t mean Vientos will emerge as the Mets’ third baseman when camp breaks.
He’d need to beat out Brett Baty, the incumbent, for that. Vientos might have to settle for at-bats as the designated hitter.
Might have to wait in Triple-A Syracuse until a need arises. But if nothing else, Vientos has ignited his spring with two weeks of Grapefruit League games remaining.
“Usually the first couple at-bats in spring, I’m just trying to get my timing down,” Vientos told The Post on Monday. “Feel like I’m still a little bit, like, weird with my timing, but I feel like it’s getting there.”
Early in camp, Vientos said Mendoza advised him to not stray from his strength. He’s a power hitter. A home run launcher. That won’t happen every at-bat and every game and maybe even every week, but it’s OK.
He didn’t need to change anything mechanically after last season, when he hit .211 with a .620 OPS in 65 games.
Instead, Vientos looked for ways to unearth consistency, and he started paying more attention to the nuances of his swing.
“Just trusting your swing works,” Vientos said, “and I trust my swing.”
It helped him fight off two sinkers against ex-Met Steven Matz on Saturday before blasting a double to left. He kept trying to drive a fastball up the middle until Matz left a changeup hanging.
That carried over into Sunday’s homer. Vientos wanted to meet a fastball in front. But he’s always been able to “miss-hit” something, he said, and when he was late on Brant Hurter’s sinker, Vientos still connected enough for it to carry 329 feet — not a homer in an MLB ballpark, but enough for Clover Park’s dimensions.
Vientos’ hitting allowed him to earn at-bats with the Mets in 2023 despite not having a true position. He had power, though. Lots of it. But in order for Vientos to get a chance last year, the Mets needed to become the Baby Mets. They needed to spiral to the point where a spark was encouraged.
This time, Vientos’ avenue to a consistent stint in the majors might not require a similar sequence. He could become part of their primary plan instead.
“He’s feeling pretty good right now,” Mendoza said Sunday. “He’s seeing the ball well.”