Juan Soto is Going Through a Difficult Moment in His Season with the Mets
Juan Soto’s statistics do not reflect his potential. The prominent New York Mets player has experienced difficulties on the field, evidenced by his recent performance.
In Wednesday’s game, Soto failed to get a hit and didn’t get the ball out of the infield in the 9-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
After signing a record $765 million contract in December as a free agent, Soto is batting .224, with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 55 games during his first season with the Mets.
The four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger winner went 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout on Wednesday, in a performance that matched the gloomy weather. He was booed by a sparse crowd at Citi Field.
Soto hasn’t connected a hit since he hit a two-run double on Saturday in the 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. In addition, luck doesn’t seem to be on his side, as he lost a hit on a confusing play on Tuesday night, when he was called out for passing his teammate Brandon Nimmo on the bases.Today was one of those days where he didn’t connect with the ball with force, but I thought his base, his lower part, was in a better position.
Carlos Mendoza, Mets manager
Soto’s batting average has dropped 61 points below his career mark at the start of the season. He hasn’t hit a home run since May 9, a span of 75 plate appearances, and has only seven hits in his last 59 at-bats (.119).
With runners in scoring position this year, he’s batting .130 (6-46) with one home run and 16 RBIs. This contrasts with the 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a .989 OPS he recorded with the New York Yankees last season, when he helped the team reach the World Series and finished third in the voting for the American League MVP. Soto has been particularly cold since May 16, when he was booed in his return to Yankee Stadium with the Mets. He seems to have taken the harsh reception in stride, removing his helmet to the crowd before his first at-bat, but Soto is only batting .114 (5-44) with one extra-base hit since then.Most advanced metrics suggest Soto has been unlucky. He ranks in the 90th percentile in several categories on Baseball Savant, although his bat speed ranks in the 73rd percentile, down from the 94th percentile last season.
Soto made three outs on balls hit at least 99 mph in the 6-4 victory over the White Sox on Tuesday night.
Yesterday was a perfect example of his season so far: 0-4 with three balls [almost] at 100 mph. Hard to explain. But that’s baseball. He’s too good a hitter. Too good a player. Juan Soto will be here.
Carlos Mendoza, Mets manager
