In his four plus seasons with the Nationals (which only totaled 565 games because of the shortened 2020 season so it is really equivalent to 3 ½ seasons) Soto hit .291 with an OBP of .427 while hitting 119 home runs. He continued to excel in his stopover with the San Diego Padres in 2022 and 2023, and had a great season with the Yankees in 2024.
Soto’s numbers are eye-popping, especially in today’s era. He has walked more than he has struck out, a rarity, and he has led league in walks three times and OBP twice, while maintaining a career .419 OBP.
But when you get to the discussion of making an impact, Yankees fans will tell you that it was always Aaron Judge. It was Judge who other teams feared. Did Judge benefit from Soto or did Soto benefit from Judge? I only ask because of the comment made that Soto was “missing Judge” behind him.
Soto had Judge behind him for one season. It didn’t seem like Soto needed anyone behind him to excel. He has traditionally walked well over 100 times during the course of a season. That could be attributed to his great eye at the plate, or that pitchers are pitching around him. Or it could be both. So while he has displayed some power, hit game thus far in his career has been to get on base. That used to be Brandon Nimmo’s game until he became a totally different hitter at the plate. Nevertheless…
Nearing the end of the first month of the season, 25 games in and with the Mets in first place, Soto is hitting .233, with an OBP of .364, and three dingers. And that is with a red-hot Pete Alonso hitting .341 with an OBP of .440 and six homers behind him.
Juan Soto was, and is, an addition to the team that was very much needed for the Mets to succeed. Is he going to suffer the same fate as some other big-time Mets free agent signings in their first season – think Carlos Beltran – or will he get on track and emerge as a dominant force in the lineup? Hopefully it’s the latter because with the holes in the Mets lineup, they really need Soto to produce what’s on the back of his baseball card. If for no other reason, to stop the pundits on social media.
