Third Base is a Full House for the New York Mets

The New York Mets’ third base position reminds me of the famous line in Forrest Gump: “Life is like a bunch of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get”. Coming into this season, it looked like Mark Vientos was the answer at the hot corner, with him coming off a 32 home run season. However, Vientos was not looking like the 2024 breakout star and appeared more like……well, a guy that was lost at the plate. At the beginning of June, a hamstring injury forced him to the injured list. Eventually, Brett Baty got some reps at third and after starting slowly, he turned into thumbs up Baty before reverting back to thumbs down Baty. Ronny Mauricio was called and has found most of his Major League time being spent at third. Even Luisangel Acuna has seen action there as a defensive replacement.

Third base is like the village bicycle. Everyone gets a turn.

Vientos is about to begin a rehab assignment and could conceivably rejoin the Mets this weekend. He should be the frontrunner to reclaim the position as he is the one with the best, albeit brief track record of performing at the Major League level. None of the other three players have grabbed a hold of the spot the way Vientos did in 2024. Now does this mean he gets to remain the starter should his on base percentage hover below .300? I would say no considering Baty, Acuna and Muricio are all well thought of in the organization. What the chaos at the corner should do is bring out the best in each player. After all, the other guys that don’t step up at third do have second base to fall back on. Those who lose out on both second and third slide into a utility role or all the way down to Syracuse. In Vientos’s case, he doesn’t have that luxury. It’s either third base or thrown into another crowded space at designated hitter. Talk about a good problem to have. The team has one of the best records in baseball and their biggest worry is to find enough playing time for their youngsters.

The Mets have arguably entered their toughest stretch of the season. They have lost four consecutive games for the first time in 2025 and travel to Philadelphia after finishing up in Atlanta. Now would be the perfect time for someone, anyone to grab a hold of third base for the remainder of the season.

Author: Tom Lynch

Family is everything to me. Baseball is a close second. What better way to combine my two favorite passions than to write about them! My three children each have a different baseball team, hence the title, "Three Unassisted". I write about not only my thoughts but also the musings of Ryan (Yankees), Caitlyn (Phillies) and Matthew (Mets). I may have grown up a Yankees fan but since family is greater than ball, I also root for the Phillies and Mets. I love talking about my kids. I love talking about baseball. That lethal combination will keep you coming back for more. Happy reading! View all posts by Tom Lynch