Juan Soto’s start to the season with the New York Mets has not been as expected, although to his relief, on Monday night he hit his second home run in the 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins.
Juan Soto is surrounded in the Mets lineup as second in the order, first by Francisco Lindor and then followed by Pete Alonso, but he seems to miss being withAaron Judge, his best partner last year, when together they guided the New York Yankees to the World Series. He made this known in an interview with the New York Post, where he confessed that he felt calmer alongside the ‘Judge’.
“It’s definitely different,” Soto told the New York Post, adding, “I had the best hitter in baseball behind me. They attacked me more and threw me more in the strike zone, I got less intentional walks and stuff like that. Last year they pitched me differently.”
Juan Soto’s lukewarm start with the Mets
In 56 at-bats, Soto is hitting .250 with an OPS of .829, with just two home runs and six RBIs, while his 2024 numbers were .288 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs and a .989 OPS.
Another factor that may be playing on Juan Soto‘s mind is the pressure of the $765 million, 15-year contract, the largest in MLB history, which has him in the spotlight to deliver results immediately. Although he has Pete Alonso as backup, it is not the same as having Aaron Judge next in line. The Mets first baseman has done his job and for now has taken advantage when opponents fear the Dominican, such as the double with which he drove in two runs after they walked Soto, to guide the 10-5 win over the Marlins last week.
Read the full article here
