Inside The Mets

Mets star Mark Vientos addresses lack of hustle with clear 7-word message

New York Mets infielder Mark Vientos got honest about not running a ground ball out during Tuesday's loss.

Grant Young

Mar 28, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) runs to first base on an RBI double during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Mar 28, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos (27) runs to first base on an RBI double during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
In this story:

While it's still very early, the New York Mets haven't had the start to the 2025 MLB season that they were hoping for.

Entering their April 2 road game against the Miami Marlins, the Mets have a .183 average as a team, which is 27th best in MLB. While New York's team .618 OPS is 21st in baseball, it's a far cry from where this lineup should be, considering the superstars it boasts.

One Mets slugger who hasn't quite found his form is third baseman Mark Vientos, who brought a .085 batting average and .364 OPS into the team's April 2 game against Miami.

There's little doubt that Vientos will turn things around, as he has proven himself to be an excellent hitter. However, it isn't Vientos' hitting struggles that Mets fans might be frustrated about, as he hit a ground ball to third base during the fourth inning of the team's April 1 game and didn't run hard to first base.

If Vientos has given 100%, he likely would have beaten the grounder out.

Read more: NBA star, Mets superfan Donovan Mitchell trolls Yankees over torpedo bat usage

The 25-year-old spoke with the media on Wednesday. And at one point, he addressed not running this ground ball out fully.

"Won't let that happen again, for sure," Vientos said, per an X post from SNY. He later added that Francisco Lindor, manager Carlos Mendoza, and first base coach Antoan Richardson all spoke with him about it and told him to make sure this lack of effort won't happen again.

Props to Lindor and these other Mets leaders for addressing this hustle issue straightaway with Vientos.

Recommended Articles

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

Home/News