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Mark Vientos
Mark Anthony Vientos (born December 11, 1999), nicknamed "Swaggy V",[1] is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Mets in the second round of the 2017 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut in 2022. Early life and amateur careerVientos was born in Norwalk, Connecticut.[2] His mother Katy Wilmor was born in Nicaragua, while his father Carlos Manuel "Charles" Vientos was born in the Dominican Republic but was raised in New York. Mark's father became a fan of the New York Mets, whose rooting interest and being taught how to play the game, had passed onto him as well.[3][4] Vientos grew up a fan of Alex Rodríguez and Manny Machado having liked their "swag" and because they both grew up in Miami as he did and who both also switched from shortstops in their respective careers to third basemen. Vientos because of his dad, also grew up a fan of former Mets captain David Wright, another third basemen. Vientos had worn Wright's number 5 in his youth admiring how he had played the game.[1] Vientos spent his first three years of high school at Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida.[5] In 2016, as a junior, he hit .321.[6] That summer, he played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park.[7] He transferred to American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida for his senior year in 2017.[8] As a senior, he hit .417 over 26 games.[9] After the season, he was selected by the New York Mets in the second round (59th overall) of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[10][11] Vientos signed with the Mets for $1.5 million, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at the University of Miami.[12] Professional careerAfter signing with the Mets, Vientos made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Mets before being promoted to the Kingsport Mets of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. Over 51 games between the two clubs, he batted .262 with four home runs and 26 RBIs.[13] He returned to Kingsport in 2018, slashing .287/.389/.489 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI in sixty games.[14] In 2019, he played with the Columbia Fireflies of the Single–A South Atlantic League, hitting .255/.300/.411 with 12 home runs, 62 RBI, and 27 doubles over 111 games.[15][16] After the season, he was named the Mets Minor League Hitter of the Year.[17] Vientos did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies of the Double-A Northeast.[19] After slashing .281/.346/.580 with 22 home runs and 59 RBIs over 72 games, he was promoted to the Syracuse Mets of the Triple-A East in early September.[20] Over 11 games with Syracuse, Vientos batted .278 with three home runs.[21] On November 19, 2021, the Mets selected Vientos' contract and added him to the 40-man roster.[22] He returned to Syracuse to begin the 2022 season.[23] In early June, he was placed on the injured list with knee discomfort, but returned just a little over a week later.[24][25] He was selected to represent the Mets at the 2022 All-Star Futures Game alongside Francisco Álvarez.[26] Over 101 games with Syracuse, he slashed .280/.358/.519 with 24 home runs and 72 RBI.[27] 2022On September 10, 2022, the Mets promoted Vientos to the major leagues.[28] He made his MLB debut the next night at Marlins Park versus the Miami Marlins as the team's designated hitter, going hitless over five at-bats with two strikeouts as the Mets won 9–3.[29] On September 15, Vientos recorded his first major-league hit, a single off Eric Stout of the Pittsburgh Pirates.[30] On September 24, Vientos hit his first major league home run, off Oakland Athletics starter Ken Waldichuk.[31]  2023Vientos was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the 2023 season.[32] Through May 16, 2023, Vientos had 13 home runs and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 1.104. On May 17, the Mets promoted Vientos to the major leagues in an effort to spark their struggling offense. He started at third base that night and hit a game-tying home run in the seventh inning.[33] In 65 games for New York, Vientos batted .211/.253/.367 with 9 home runs and 22 RBI. 2024Vientos was again optioned to Triple–A Syracuse to begin the 2024 season,[34] but was later called up for the remainder of a series against the St. Louis Cardinals after Starling Marte was transferred to the bereavement list.[35] In that series, he would go 3-for-4 with 3 hits, two RBIs, one run, and a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to avoid a sweep.[36] On April 30, Vientos was demoted back to Triple–A Syracuse when Starling Marte was activated from the bereavement list.[37] However, on May 15, Vientos was promoted back to the major leagues after Joey Wendle was designated for assignment.[38] In 2024, Vientos appeared in 111 games for the Mets, batting .266/.322/.516 with a career-high 27 home runs and 71 RBI.[39] In his postseason debut, Vientos hit a go-ahead 2-RBI single in Game 1 of the 2024 National League Wild Card Series.[40] In Game 2 of the 2024 National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he hit a go-ahead two-run home run to put the Mets in the lead at 2–0, and later hit another two-run home run to tie the game 6–6, which marked his first two career postseason home runs.[41] In Game 2 of the 2024 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Vientos hit his first career grand slam in the 2nd inning giving the Mets a 7–3 win. It was also the third postseason grand slam in Mets history.[42][43] During the postseason, Vientos slashed .327/.362/.636 with five home runs and 14 RBIs[44] with the 14 RBIs setting a Mets franchise record for postseason RBIs in a single season.[45] International eligibilityVientos has appeared at the youth level for the United States and captured a silver medal at the 2014 15U Baseball World Cup. Vientos would also be eligible to represent either the Dominican Republic or Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic, due to the places of birth of his parents but he would also be able to instead represent Puerto Rico and even as a native in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente. While Vientos' paternal grandmother was born in the Dominican Republic, his paternal grandfather (her spouse) was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico in 1945, which would effectively give him four eligible countries to choose from and represent in the Classic.[4] Prior to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, it was initially reported that Vientos would play for Nicaragua but he ultimately did not appear on the team's roster opting to instead participate in practices with his Mets teammates throughout the spring.[46] References
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