NEW YORK — The Bronx is bound to be hostile this weekend.
Juan Soto defied established baseball logic when he spurned the Yankees after reaching the World Series last season. The 26-year-old superstar turned down a 16-year, $760 million offer to remain with the team and joined the crosstown rival Mets on a 15-year, $765 million deal.
Advertisement
Yankees fans are certain to remember when Soto makes his anticipated return back to Yankee Stadium for the teams’ three-game Subway Series beginning at 7:05 p.m. on Friday night.
But Soto is no stranger to hostile or pressure-filled environments. He helped the Nationals claim their first World Series title as a 20-year-old in 2019. He’s been traded twice, entered new clubhouses and did not waver offensively. He’s already played 43 postseason games.
So expect the same stoic Soto when he emerges in front of Judge’s chambers in right field on Friday night.
“I think he’s just the same guy, regardless of what the moment is,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said on Wednesday. “He’s very consistent in his preparation. He enjoys the moment.
Advertisement
“He also doesn’t make more of it than it is and he understands he’s got to keep himself focused and centered and I think he does a very good job of that.”
With Soto as the massive addition to the lineup, the Mets entered Wednesday night with the best record in Major League Baseball at 28-15. They have scored the fourth-most runs in the National League and have the third-best run differential in baseball.
Clay Holmes will be experiencing an emotional return to the Bronx, as well, and expects more out of the same from Soto.
“I can’t really tell the future, but we’ll see,” Holmes said of his expectations of Soto’s reception. “Juan’s a great player. He had great year last year, was a big part of the team last year, and we’ll see. Any opposing player going in, we’ll see how he’s treated. I think his focus is going to be to put up good at-bats and he’s always able to lock it in those big moments. It’ll be fun to watch him.”
Advertisement
So how has Soto fit in so far with the Mets, the results have been encouraging:
Juan Soto: A massive presence
May 1, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) congratulates right fielder Juan Soto (22) for d hitting a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacksuring the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Pete Alonso said “this is our best lineup that we’ve had” in his seven years as a member of the Mets.
The only major changes since last year are the addition of Soto, rise of Luisangel Acuña and subtractions of J.D. Martinez and Jose Iglesias.
“For me, I think the thing that I really appreciate is (Soto’s) always a tough at-bat,” Alonso told NorthJersey.com. “There’s times where he’ll get his pitch early, but still, there’s no such thing as where a pitcher can take a moment off. For him, it’s every single pitch, he’s making the pitcher work.
Advertisement
“I think it’s that consistent strain and concentration that not just him, I feel like we all do that.”
In Soto, Carlos Mendoza sees a player that strikes fear in opposing pitching staffs, opening up opportunities for the top of the lineup, including Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso.
News: How the Mets have turned a weakness of stopping opposing base-stealers into a strength
All three members of the top of the Mets’ lineup have posted an OPS above .800 to begin the season. (Lindor at .855, Soto at .845 and Alonso at 1.005.)
“You’re looking at how teams are attacking Lindor then the at-bat for Pete, not only when one guy’s on base or two are on base. Same with the guys to the bottom of the lineup, knowing what’s coming behind those guys, whether it’s a Lindor or Soto, in this case, it means a lot,” Mendoza said. “(Soto) impacts one through nine.”
A slow start but some momentum
New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) is introduced before the Mets home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 4, 2025, at Citi Field.
From the outside, there was some concern in the early going about Soto’s production.
Advertisement
Through the first full month, Soto’s OPS sat at .752. On the heels of a 41-home run season, he had only left the park three times while driving in 12 runs. It was jarring for a four-time All-Star, who had never seen his OPS drop below .853 over a full season.
But May has brought a return to the mean for Soto, who already has five home runs, eight RBI, 10 runs and two doubles in 12 games this month.
And over the full season, Soto leads the Mets in runs (31) and walks (33), to go along with nine doubles.
“How relaxed and how confident he is in his game,” Mark Vientos said about what stands out about Soto. “It takes years and years of doing it really well at a high level.”
Advertisement
Soto’s underlying metrics remain at elite levels, with his expected batting average (.312), hard-hit rate (55.8 percent), chase rate (16.6 percent) and squared-up rate (35.6 percent) along among the top 6 percent in baseball.
The superstar outfielder has risen through adversity before and now he has another big test coming up beginning on Friday.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Is Juan Soto worth contract so far? Inside impact with NY Mets