At least the Mets seem to be accepting that some things aren’t working. They reported for duty in Philadelphia without Joey Wendle [1], mercifully DFA’ed in favor of Mark Vientos [2], and recalled Joey Lucchesi [3] while sending Jose Butto [4] down to presumably find coaches to help him tame his sudden bout of wildness.
And, hey, the plan looked pretty good for an hour or so. Vientos cracked an early double off Ranger Suarez [5], who’s been invincible in 2024, and Lucchesi looked solid for four innings, his record blemished only by a Bryce Harper [6] home run over the left field wall, which we should remember is about 195 feet away in this ballpark and so deserving of an asterisk.
But Lucchesi came apart like a dime-store watch in the fifth: walks, an ill-advised throw to third on a bunt, a bases-loaded HBP and consecutive hits that plated three. Vientos would pick up another hit but at times played third base like he was being chased by bees. The Phillies did cruel things to Grant Hartwig [7] and Adrian Houser [8], there were Met errors, and that’s not even addressing the various dopey and/or inept things contributed to the proceedings by the winning team. Or the fact that the first few innings were played in a gloomy murk that made you want to reach inside your TV with a rag in hopes of making a clear spot.
This was some poor soul’s first-ever baseball game; I hope someone told him or her that they’re not all like tha [9]t.
Before bringing this recap to a merciful conclusion, a last thought, one that I’ve been tugging this way and that for a couple of weeks: There’s a case to be made that Vientos should have been the DH all year, with J.D. Martinez [10] employed by someone else. The Mets are thoroughly mediocre and it feels like the gap between them and the playoffs is a fair bit bigger than J.D. But this isn’t a surprise — it felt that way in March too. If that’s the case, why is Martinez here? Vientos, like his maybe-platoon partner Brett Baty [11], clearly has things to learn, but he’s not going to learn them in Syracuse. To have a shot at mastering those lessons he needs to play at the big-league level, and play regularly.
But it’s also true that Martinez has a sterling reputation as a student of hitting and an excellent teammate, and that may be part of the equation here. A decade or so ago I would have dismissed that as an unquantifiable Just So story, but now I’m not so sure. This isn’t the start of a stemwinder about intangibles, which really are Just So stories, but an open question about the value of mentors on a team with young players. There have been a number of relatively recent Mets who didn’t do much in our uniform but were later exalted as teachers — Jose Valverde [12] and Jose Bautista [13] are the names that come immediately to mind.
Those stories tend not to be told until later, sometimes popping up when no longer so young players talk about their own development and the guys who helped them along their path. Much later, sometimes: I don’t recall hearing about Mike Torrez [14] helping a very young Dwight Gooden [15] until Gooden’s number-retirement ceremony was upon us.
I’m not saying that’s the answer, or that those who grouse that Vientos’s development is being stunted are wrong — I’ve thought that myself. I’m just saying it’s something to think about. And maybe even a little comfort when you can’t bear to look at the scoreboard.