Mets have hottest hitter in the National League and it's shockingly not Juan Soto

One of Juan Soto's New York Mets teammates has been producing at an even higher clip than him.

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The New York Mets' offense stepped up in a major way in August, producing several franchise records.

Alas, it wasn’t enough to help the team win games. The Mets had a losing record last month, going 11-17 despite the production the lineup was providing. A franchise record in runs scored and home runs wasn’t enough to overcome such underwhelming performances from the pitching staff.

Leading the way offensively was their $765 million man, right fielder Juan Soto. Issues he had with runners in scoring position earlier in the season dissipated. He was crushing the ball, putting the team on his back, and producing at a level expected from a player who is being paid as much as he is.

Read More: Mets superstar Juan Soto on pace to produce statistics not achieved this century

The talented slugger went on a historic tear near the end of August that has carried into September. He has thrust himself into the National League MVP discussion, breaking records and putting himself in a position to reach statistical plateaus that haven’t been achieved this decade. However, even with his heroics, there is one teammate who has caught fire more than he has.

Mark Vientos has been on fire for the Mets

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That would be third baseman Mark Vientos. After a brutal start to the campaign, failing to carry over the positive momentum he created in 2024, the 25-year-old started heating up as summer rolled around.

FORGET THAT!

Mark Vientos homers to right-center! pic.twitter.com/ce3mjE0kbj

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 5, 2025

As shared by Michael Baron on X, his production since July 10, a span of 40 games, has been excellent. He has a .295/.335/.584 slash line, recording 10 home runs, 11 doubles and one triple. His run production has been great, scoring 19 times and knocking in 36 runs.

Mark Vientos, last 40 games (July 10):

.295/.335/.584

11 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 44 H, 19 R

Since August 17, he leads all NL hitters in home runs (9), RBI (24), SLG (.794), XBH (14), and TB (54), while also ranking in OPS (1.191, 2nd), and runs (16, tied 4th). #Mets

— Michael Baron (@michaelgbaron) September 6, 2025

That production is already excellent, but Vientos has taken his performance to another level since August 17; from that point forward, he has been even hotter than Soto, building a strong argument as the best hitter in the NL. Vientos has led the league in several categories since that date: home runs (9), RBI (24), slugging percentage (.794), extra-base hits (14) and total bases (54). His 1.191 OPS ranks second and his 16 runs scored are fourth.

His re-emergence has helped lengthen this lineup, providing even more difficulties for opposing pitchers to work through. He has been excellent in the second half, surpassing a majority of his counting stats from the first half despite 112 fewer plate appearances through September 5.

Vientos is reaching his peak at the perfect time, helping keep New York keep pace in the NL playoff picture; he continued his hot hitting on Friday with a key home run in the Mets' eventual 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds. If the third baseman can continue to rake heading into October, then the Mets can potentially be looking at another deep run.