Back on May 10, had anyone told any Mets fans that Juan Soto, then batting .233 with only eight home runs and a .771 OPS, would have a 30-30 campaign, they would have been sent to Bellevue for observation. Even with a full turnaround, Soto had never swiped more than 12 bags in a season, once each in 2019 and 2023.
Today, though the Mets are clinging to the final NL Wild Card spot, Juan Soto has turned in a pretty good first year in Flushing. He’s still batting a modest .261, but has 38 homers and 94 RBI to go with his 30 stolen bases. Soto also leads the National League in on-base percentage (OBP) and MLB in walks.
All in all, he’s had a season very much expected of him, save for the lower batting average. He’s taking his walks and hitting home runs despite being an overall net negative in the outfield.
So, given that, we kind of just answered the question up top. Have the New York Mets turned Juan Soto into a five-tool player? No, they have not. If they had, he wouldn’t have a -4 defensive runs saved (DRS) and -11 fielding run value (FRV).
What the Mets have done, however, is give Soto more confidence in his legs. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com even pointed out, Soto has 19 stolen bases since the All-Star Break compared to just 15 home runs. As to how, Soto credits one man: Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson.
If you’re a New Yorker and that name sounds familiar, it should. Richardson spent 12 years in the minors and, across 22 games scattered across 2011 and 2014, has one career highlight. In Derek Jeter’s final game at Yankee Stadium, back in 2014, Richardson scored the winning run on the Yankee captain’s walk-off single.
“Antoan has done an unbelievable job,” Soto said. “He’s been helping me since Day 1. So I give him all the credit. He’s the one who put me in this situation and in this spot to do what I’ve done.”
Smart move on Richardson’s part, if we think about it big picture. Consider this: A big reason Soto’s numbers have dipped this year are pure baseball reasons. He doesn’t have Aaron Judge protecting him in the lineup (No offense, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso), and Citi Field is bigger than Yankee Stadium. He’s hit .270 with 20 home runs on the road compared to .251 with 18 at home.
However, in an interesting note, Soto has 18 steals at home compared to only a dozen on the road. If that helps the Mets hang onto their playoff spot in the final sprint, then why stop it?
Juan Soto will never be a five-tool player. Not unless he makes a sudden switch to first base and excels out of nowhere. But that the Mets have been able to uncover this hidden skill, one that neither the Nationals, Padres, nor Yankees even tried to utilize? And in Soto’s age-26 season?
Let’s just say the next few years of the contract suddenly got more interesting.
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