Spring Training Position Battle: DH Gets More Competitive

Two weeks ago, it looked like the Mets were set to hand the designated hitter reigns to Mark Vientos and let him run with them. While that still may be true, the Mets aren’t merely handing him 500 plate appearances—he’ll have to earn them in spring training.

Over the last five days, the Mets have signed Ji-Man Choi and Luke Voit to contracts, adding competition to the position that includes Vientos and DJ Stewart. On top of that, the Mets will reportedly look into getting Starling Marte DH at-bats this year, and Pete Alonso has averaged 75 plate appearances a year at DH over the last two seasons.

All of a sudden, the position has become pretty saturated.

Let’s take a quick look at the main four players battling it out for DH at-bats:

• Mark Vientos: Vientos is the leading man for the role. David Stearns also said that Vientos will likely spend some time at third base. As far as competition, Vientos previously said, “I feel like it’s me against me. I’m not competing against any of my teammates. I’m just trying to be the best player I can be.”
• DJ Stewart: Stewart was one of the few lone bright spots at the MLB level the last two months of the 2023 season. He slashed .244/.333/.506/.840 over 185 plate appearances and earned himself a tendered contract. He can also play the corner outfield spots.
• Ji-Man Choi: Choi was one of the two beefy boys Stearns signed to contracts this week. Known for his prowess and stretches at first base, Choi was an above average hitter from 2018 to 2022. But his 2023 was pretty poor, and he spent most of it in Triple-A. He, like the next guy, could spell Alonso at first.
• Luke Voit: Luke Voit went on a tear in the Mets organization after coming over from the Brewers. In 37 games, he slashed .264/.415/.643/1.058. The Mets seemed to promise Voit that they’d either call him up or trade him around the deadline, but neither happened and the Mets cut him. He’s back to fill a similar role—first base power depth in the minor leagues.

All four will increase their chances of making the Opening Day roster by showing value in the field. This is where Vientos could have a leg up, given he’s the youngest of all four and, presumably, his offseason work at third base could start to show improvements on defense.

Mets spring training starts on Saturday, and all four will likely get ample playing time to state their case for making the MLB team out of spring.

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