We’re nine games into the 2025 Major League Baseball Season and Juan Soto’s New York Mets career. New York is 6-3 early, good for second place in the NL East and one game behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies.
And Soto’s start wearing the orange and blue since signing his record 15-year, $765 million deal has been…pretty good? Soto is batting .250 with a home run and three RBI so far while drawing seven walks compared to four strikeouts.
By comparison, Soto was hitting .333 with one home run and six RBI nine games into his Yankees career last season while batting in front of MVP Aaron Judge.
Of course, this doesn’t mean Juan Soto is the only good player in an otherwise average Mets lineup. Pete Alonso still has some power in his swing and it’s only a matter of time before Francisco Lindor breaks out. As things currently stand, the Mets have serious playoff potential after reaching the NLCS in 2024.
But early on? Soto has had little to nothing to do with his team’s success. He’s batting .400 in “late and close” situations, but .000 with runners in scoring position. Very un-Soto, considering he’s a .293 hitter with RISP in his career.
Except when looking at the Mets’ six wins, Soto’s signature is more of a footnote. His one home run on March 28 simply upped the Mets’ lead to 3-0 over the Astros, from 2-0. His other two RBIs? A double that extended the Mets’ lead on Sunday, and an RBI groundout back in the opening series at Houston.
All Soto has really done for the Mets, at least thus far, is post a team-leading eight runs scored.
We can now say that Juan Soto is the face of the New York Mets, the New York Mets are not yet his team. Players don’t look to him for guidance. When we think of a player we can safely call Mr. Met in non-mascot form, is he really who we first think of?
No, we don’t. That honor still very much belongs to Pete Alonso, who re-signed with the Mets after a way-too-long free agency. Alonso is hot out of the gate and batting .290 with three home runs early on, including a grand slam which iced his Mets’ 10-4 victory in Miami on March 31.
Alonso also hit a game-tying three-run shot in Miami two days later, which ultimately forced extra innings and a Mets victory. And furthermore, guess whose home run opened the scoring in Friday’s home opener against Toronto?
In all fairness to Soto, it’s probably unrealistic to expect him to match his Yankees numbers. His 41 home runs last year were a personal best and his 109 RBI tied his career high. Citi Field doesn’t have a short porch in right field to help left-handed hitters. Alonso has great power, but doesn’t provide nearly the same protection as the two-time MVP Judge.
And none of this is to knock Juan Soto, nor his contract. It’s been nine games. For all we know, this could be his slow month before catching fire en route to his own MVP campaign. Don’t forget that Judge won his second MVP last year, and hit just .207 with six home runs in March/April before teeing off.
Yet, given the size and scope of the deal, Soto has to start showing up more. He’s one of the best and smartest hitters in baseball, hands down. He will find his way and put up All-Star numbers in a Mets uniform this year.
But until he does, Flushing, Queens is and shall remain Polar Bear Country.
