NEW YORK -- Mark Vientos couldn't have fretted too much about the Y2K scare, or the uncertainties of the turn of the millennium. He mustn't have wondered much about how the world might change.
He was, after all, a newborn.
The youngest player taken on Day 1 of the 2017 Draft was Vientos, born on Dec. 11, 1999. When the event wraps up on Wednesday afternoon, the Mets expect their second-round pick, at No. 59 overall, to be one of the three youngest players selected in the entire Draft.
• Mets' No. 20 overall pick: David Peterson
The Draft continues on Tuesday with Rounds 3-10. The MLB.com preview show begins at 12:30 p.m. ET, with exclusive coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
:: 2017 MLB Draft coverage ::
Vientos' youth will give the Mets plenty of time to figure out where his future lies on the diamond. A shortstop throughout his amateur career at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla., Vientos clocks in at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds -- big enough to draw comparisons to another South Florida product, Orioles superstar Manny Machado, a high school shortstop whose size precipitated a move to third base. Like Machado, the Mets see Vientos as a potential third baseman, instead of a shortstop or outfielder.
"It's more than likely that he would play third base," Mets director of amateur scouting Marc Tramuta said. "We will certainly try the shortstop avenue because he's played it there and played it well. It may be an atypical shortstop just judging by his size, but there are guys that have played there in Major League Baseball in the past, historically. But we do think that he can stay on the dirt."
Regardless of his ultimate defensive position, the Mets are convinced that once Vientos leaves his teenage years behind, he'll have no problem hitting professional pitching. As a senior at American Heritage, Vientos hit .417 with a .467 on-base percentage in 92 plate appearances. Mets vice president of amateur scouting Tommy Tanous called him "just a tremendous performer" capable of standing out from the competitive South Florida baseball crowd, as well as on the national stage.
Though Vientos is committed to the University of Miami, the Mets feel they will lure him away from that commitment. MLB's slot recommendation for the 59th overall pick is $1.1 million.
"We feel the signability's really strong," Tanous said. "He's indicated he wants to play. We've done our homework. We don't view that as an issue at all."