PORT ST. LUCIE — As Mark Vientos considers the Mets’ collapse last season, he suspects the team was “forcing wins.”
In what manner?
“It’s when there’s a bunch of noise and a bunch of talking, it’s just you go out there and play and don’t have fun,” Vientos said Monday. “It’s just like, ‘I gotta win. I gotta win.’ And I feel like we put too much pressure on ourselves last year.”
It’s a team that had the major leagues’ best record in mid-June before beginning a freefall that culminated with the Mets going 21-32 over the final two months to miss the playoffs by one victory.
That’s over now, and Vientos — as one of the players who underperformed last season following his breakout 2024 — is focused on ensuring there isn’t a repeat.
Last season Vientos produced a .233/.289/.413 slash line with 17 homers and 61 RBIs.
Vientos had one strong month — August — but had an otherwise disappointing year in which he lost his starting job, leaving the 26-year-old’s future within the organization in question.
“It was just inconsistency overall,” Vientos said. “I think it starts with the routine and stuff before the game starts. I was inconsistent in that part and then that just kind of showed in my season. I didn’t feel good for most of the year. I didn’t have a routine to fall back on, that could keep me steady.”
He will begin camp without a true position, after the team signed Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette to anchor the corner infield positions.
Vientos could see occasional action at first base behind Polanco and receive at-bats in a part-time DH role.
He’s also still taking grounders at third base in case he is needed.
Vientos indicated spring training will have a different feel following the departures of Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Díaz, but roster turnover is a natural part of the game.
“I feel like there’s always a new group of guys every year, so it’s not really something different,” Vientos said. “I have [Brett] Baty still, I have [Francisco] Alvarez, [Ronny] Mauricio. Those are guys I have known since the beginning and they are still here with me, so it’s awesome to be around them still.”
