Players of the Week: Vientos Makes Case for Full-Time Role, Severino Shines Again

It was another crushing week for the Mets, who dropped five of their six games against the Cleveland Guardians and San Francisco Giants. The week included two late-inning bullpen implosions that led to losses where the Giants scored five runs in a lone inning. Their only win came in walk-off fashion at Citi Field on Sunday as they came back from a 2-run deficit in the ninth inning. Sitting at 22-30 on the season, the Met are tied with the Oakland Athletics for the fifth-worst record in baseball. Despite the dark results this week, there were a few bright spots to be content with.

Offensive Player of the Week: Mark Vientos

Vientos has spent more than half of the 2024 season playing in Triple-A for the Syracuse Mets, but he has shined bright in the limited playing time received in Queens, especially since being called back up to the bigs earlier this month. Brett Baty won the starting third base job coming out of Spring Training but has failed to continue to consistently produce at a high level on the offensive side after a promising start to his season. Partially due to Baty’s struggles, Carlos Mendoza looked to Vientos to create a spark to the lineup.

Vientos went 4-for-11 at the dish in three games for the Mets this week, all four hits going for extra bases, including a pair of home runs and doubles. On Friday night, Vientos went back-to-back with J.D. Martinez to extend the Mets’ lead to three runs before the Giants and Patrick Bailey spoiled the party by hitting a grand slam off of Reed Garrett, leading the Giants to an 8-7 victory.

Despite those strong numbers, Mendoza opted to start Baty at third base and sit Vientos over the weekend for their final two games against the Giants and their right-handed pitchers. It’s a move that left some fans questioning his decision not to ride the hot hand. It will be something to keep an eye on how Mendoza and the front office handle splitting up playing time between these two young players.

Pitcher of the Week: Luis Severino

Severino has been nothing short of impressive in a Mets uniform this season. For a guy who looked to have his best days behind him after a career-worst season in 2023 for the Yankees, he has done everything needed to bounce back to keep his career on the right track. Many fans scratched their heads when the Mets signed Severino to a one-year deal during the offseason, but he has proved the doubters wrong so far this season.

Sevy took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning on Saturday before allowing a pair of singles and an earned run, which tied the game at one apiece. In another strong outing, he received a no-decision as he left the game in a tie. Severino’s final line for that night was 7 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 1 ER and 6 K.

His Mets future is something to keep an eye on if the Mets don’t turn things around rather quickly. As the trade deadline season approaches, he could become a top target for pitching needy teams. Since he’s on a one-year deal, it makes sense that David Stearns and the Mets front office will at least take calls from interested teams. He’s been a steady cog in this rotation, but with David Peterson and Tylor Megill set to return from injury soon and Kodai Senga possibly on his way shortly after, a trade might make sense for both parties. It’s something to watch over the next two months.

Honorable Mention: Omar Narváez

It took until the ninth inning on Sunday for Narváez to obtain a hit at Citi Field this season, and boy was it a big one. His walk-off single secured the Mets’ victory and avoided the sweep in back-to-back series. In a season that hasn’t seen much success at the plate for Narváez, the Mets leaned on him to sub in for Tomás Nido in the late innings, and it paid off in a huge spot.

Up Next

The Mets will host the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field for a three-game series beginning Monday afternoon. The Mets took two of three from the Dodgers in Los Angeles when they matched up in April.

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