When the New York Mets decided to go all-in on Juan Soto with a historic 15-year, $765 million contract, the least they expected was for him to deliver strong numbers. For a moment, those expectations were shaken by the player’s underwhelming performance, but it’s precisely when they need him most that he’s stepping up with his best offensive version.
The millions invested in the Dominican star brought pressure that he needed to overcome with his level of production. At the end of the day, the minimum expectation is an MVP-caliber season (which he hasn’t had) and, over the years, delivering a World Series.
Criticism was bound to surface from the start, as various analysts believed he would never live up to the hype, and it’s no secret that at one point he struggled with low production.
Juan Soto is on fire at the perfect moment for the Mets
For those looking for flaws in Juan Soto, as of today, they can’t find them because he’s delivering a historic performance at the plate.
On Monday, against the Detroit Tigers, the 26-year-old outfielder went 3-for-2, hitting his 36th home run of the season. His second hit was his first triple of the campaign, driving in Francisco Lindor and Luis Torrens-a hit that proved decisive in securing the lead.
In his last four games, Juan Soto has been unstoppable: he hit four home runs, a triple, stole three bases, and drove in 11 runs during that span. According to OptaSTATS, he’s only the second player in MLB history to achieve such a streak.
Since 1920, when RBIs became an official statistic, only Ryan Klesko had matched those numbers, in May 2001 with the San Diego Padres, earning him his only All-Star Game selection in a 16-year career.
Soto’s offensive explosion couldn’t have come at a better time for the Mets. The team is fighting to hold off the Cincinnati Reds in the race for the final National League Wild Card spot, with a faint-albeit unlikely-hope of catching the Philadelphia Phillies atop the NL East.
The truth is, the Dominican seems to have found his best form. After a dominant August, he kicked off September with the same intensity, proving key to New York‘s return to the win column with a 10-8 victory over the Tigers.
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