Mets' Carlos Mendoza has Juan Soto message after superstar's 2-homer game
Context:
Juan Soto, after a slow start in his first month with the New York Mets, has begun to demonstrate his true capabilities by hitting two home runs in consecutive games, raising his season total to seven. His impressive performance has elevated his OPS to .863, ranking him 24th among qualified hitters in the league. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has praised Soto's consistent approach at the plate, noting that his recent results are a testament to his solid batting process. Soto attributes his improved performance to making good decisions and better swings, which are now being rewarded with more frequent hits. As the season progresses, Soto is expected to continue this upward trajectory, potentially leading to an even more successful performance as the weather warms up.
Dive Deeper:
Juan Soto's initial struggles in his first month with the New York Mets were a topic of concern, especially following his significant $765 million contract, but he has recently turned his performance around with consecutive two-homer games.
Soto's current performance has significantly boosted his OPS to .863, placing him 24th among qualified hitters in Major League Baseball, an impressive feat considering the early season struggles.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has been vocal about Soto's excellent batting process, emphasizing that his consistent good at-bats were bound to yield positive results sooner or later.
Soto himself feels that his recent success is due to maintaining his approach, seeing the ball well, and making sound decisions at the plate, which have now started translating into tangible results.
With the season still early at 38 games, Soto's performance is nearing his career norms, and there is optimism that he will continue to excel as conditions become more favorable throughout the season.
It's not a surprise to anyone who has followed baseball over the last seven years, but Juan Soto's slow start hasn't lingered into May.
There was plenty of hand-wringing about Soto's lackluster first month in a New York Mets uniform, which is natural when a player has just signed a $765 million contract. However, the great ones always come around, and that's just what Soto has done.
After hitting two home runs on May 1, Soto turned around and did the exact same thing on Wednesday. He's now up to seven long balls on the season, skyrocketing his OPS to .863, the 24th-best of any qualified big-league hitter.
Watching Soto work his at-bats on a daily basis is enthralling for those who get to experience it for the first time. And the Mets' manager is one of those people this year.
On Wednesday, after the Mets' 7-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, manager Carlos Mendoza sang Soto's praises, saying the slugger's process had been too good not to lead to better results.
“For two weeks now, he’s continuously had really good at-bats, day in and day out, and finally it’s good to see him [get results],” Mendoza said, per Michael Reynolds of MLB.com. “Going dead center, and then the left on left there, that was impressive.”
Meanwhile, Soto seems to be chalking the better results up to baseball rewarding some good swings and punishing others.
“I feel the same [as when I wasn’t getting results],” Soto said. “I’m seeing the ball well and making good decisions, and now I’ve been squaring up a couple balls and finding a couple gaps.”
It's a 162-game season, and Soto's results are already awfully close to Soto territory through just 38 of them. As the weather continues to heat up, the 26-year-old could be getting ready to go on a tear.
More MLB: Yankees face tricky decision after $100 million Jazz Chisholm Jr. update