\Mark Vientos Has been fired from red bull for the due to medical…
Unsurprisingly, Carlos Mendoza hasn’t made any proclamations about who the regular third baseman is right now, but it’s pretty easy to decipher. And the answer is Mark Vientos.
Vientos started the last two games in Cleveland over Brett Baty — each coming with a right-handed starter on the mound for the Guardians.
And in those games, Vientos continued to mash, going 3-for-7 with a deep homer to center field and a double down the left field line. In 31 plate appearances in nine big league games this season, Vientos has been scorching offensively, slashing .357/.419/.714.
It’s possible Vientos doesn’t have the defensive chops to profile as a long-term starter at third base, but he deserves to get a long look to see what he can do with the bat — whatever his long-term position may be.
As far as Baty, while he drastically improved his defense at third base after working hard on it during the offseason, things simply haven’t been working for him at the plate.
He is hitting the ball on the ground way too much, striking out far too often, and has been unable to generate much power — with just six extra-base hits in 150 plate appearances this season. By comparison, Vientos has six extra-base hits in 31 plate appearances.
Diaz hasn’t been himself since May 13, when he allowed two runs to the Phillies at Citi Field. He blew the save in his next outing — on May 16 against the Phils in Philadelphia — and then had one of his worst outings as a Met on May 18.
Against the Marlins on the 18th, Diaz allowed four runs on four hits in just one third of an inning as he blew a 9-5 ninth-inning lead in an eventual Mets loss.
Speaking after the game, Diaz said he was dealing with a confidence issue.
“My confidence I feel like it’s down right now,” he said. “I’m making pitches, I’m throwing strikes, I’m trying to do my best to help the team to win. Right now, I’m not in that capacity.”
In his first season back from a devastating knee injury that required surgery, Diaz has never fully looked like himself. And he’s struggled with his fastball, which he has used sparingly at times.
Diaz hasn’t pitched since his disastrous outing on the 18th, and Mendoza said that the closer’s role is fluid — meaning it’s fair to expect Diaz’s next outing to be in a non-save situation.
