Mets' Mark Vientos is paying more attention at third base — and it's paying off
Mets relief pitcher Huascar Brazoban, right, celebrates with third baseman Mark Vientos after the Mets defeated the Padres 8-3 on Thursday in San Diego. Credit: AP/Gregory Bull
SAN DIEGO — Amid Mark Vientos’ breakout year at the plate has been another revelation: He actually has been serviceable at third base.
One of the keys to his improvement, according to him and those around him, has been his ability to focus on each pitch, which in turn puts him in a better position to field balls hit in his direction.
It sounds simple, but it was a problem in the past.
“He’s stayed consistent. Not just consistent with catching the baseball but consistent with his mindset, his preparation, his pre-pitch [routine],” shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “There’s probably around 250, 300 pitches thrown. If he wants to be elite, he needs to stay locked in at around 90, 95% of the time. Last year, he wasn’t able to do it. This year, he seems like he’s getting closer to the 90s. He’s doing fantastic.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza said: “The biggest thing for me is how engaged he is pitch to pitch . . . It’s not easy to do it for 200 pitches every day, but that’s what it takes to be a plus defender at this level. You have to be engaged. You have to be ready for every pitch. And he’s done that.”
Merely paying attention is a big piece of Vientos’ pre-pitch ready position, which Mendoza cited in late March — when he was demoted to the minors near the end of spring training — as an area of needed improvement.
“That’s what it is: staying locked in,” Vientos said. “Staying locked in when the game is long and there’s a lot of pitches thrown. Since we have a lot of lefties, there’s a lot of righties in the lineup hitting ground balls to the left side of the field. You have to be ready every single pitch.”
Vientos’ extensive technical work with infield coach Mike Sarbaugh has focused on, among other items, getting better at fielding grounders with just his glove hand. That allows Vientos to stay more fluid and natural, Sarbaugh explained, which helps him get to more batted balls than previously.
And Vientos has taken pride in improved throwing accuracy.
“Knock on wood,” Vientos said, knocking on the wood of his locker at Petco Park on Friday afternoon, “I’ve been money with my throws.”
Sarbaugh said: “The biggest thing I’ve been emphasizing is making the routine play. He’s really worked hard to get to where he is. And I’ve been very happy with the progress.”
Advanced defense statistics don’t love Vientos. He entered the weekend at minus-6 defensive runs saved, which ranked 23rd among 24 third basemen with at least 500 innings.
In outs above average, he was at minus-5, which was tied for 20th in the same group.
Still, even those represent improvement. Last year he had minus-4 DRS in only about one-quarter as many innings.
“Sometimes players who make the routine play consistently, maybe their metrics don’t always match up,” Sarbaugh said. “But there is value to: If you catch the ball, it’s an out. And that’s the most important thing for any infielder. You get that routine play, make it. So we’re just trying to emphasize that and keep improving on all the other things.”
That Vientos has progressed to passable is more than what the Mets’ previous regime thought him capable of. He won’t be a Gold Glove finalist, but for a guy leading the team’s regulars with a .282 average and .895 OPS — plus 20 homers in basically half of a season — adequate is good enough.
“[Hitting well] has been part of what’s made him make those strides at third,” Sarbaugh said. “A lot of hard work, but the confidence that hey, I belong here.”
Nunez in, Brazoban out
To clear a roster spot for righthander Dedniel Nunez, who returned after missing a month because of a right forearm strain, the Mets sent down righthander Huascar Brazoban, one of their trade-deadline additions, to Triple-A Syracuse.
Brazoban has struggled since coming over from the Marlins, posting a 6.30 ERA in nine appearances. On Thursday, he had trouble in the ninth inning of a blowout, allowing four of seven batters to reach base.
Mendoza framed the demotion as a “reset” for Brazoban, based as much on his performance on the mound as his reaction off it.
“We know that’s a really good arm there,” Mendoza said. “Ninety-nine [mph] with a plus changeup. He’s probably taking it too hard at times on himself, especially after a bad outing or things like that. Like I told him, he’s going to be a big part of this group.”
Nimmo sits
Brandon Nimmo was out of the lineup Friday against the Padres, his second time sitting in five games. The first occasion was to rest his sore right shoulder. And this time?
“Just a day [off],” Mendoza said. “We thought today was a good day to [sit] him down and he’ll be ready to go.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
