WASHINGTON — Juan Soto is back where it all started for him in the nation’s capital this weekend, but this time it’s different. This time, he faces the Washington Nationals as a rival.
After a month with the Mets, Soto has taken some heat from fans and been the talk of talk radio for his sluggish start, hitting just .233 with a .753 OPS and three home runs. He’s grounded into five double plays, more than any other player in the league, and has yet to homer at Citi Field.
However, the numbers don’t tell the full story. Fans might want electric home runs in every at-bat, but Soto has played it smart at times, simply putting the ball in play with runners in scoring position or moving runners over. He has a .320 average with two outs.
Some pitchers have refused to even pitch to him. Soto’s 19 walks are tied for the fourth-most in baseball. Four of those have come with runners in scoring position, 11 with runners on base.
Wednesday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies, he threw out Nick Castellanos at home, preventing him from scoring the go-ahead run.
“I’m trying my best to come through with the bat, but whenever that doesn’t come through, I’ve got to do something else,” he said following the Mets’ sweep of their NL East rivals. “We play good defense and run the bases. I think today, I had the chance to help the team with my defense, and I feel great with that.”
Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso have paced the Mets offensively, but the team prides itself on the depth of its lineup, and their ability to make life difficult on opposing pitchers. They take a lot of pitches, they grind out at-bats and play with a hard-nosed mentality.
The Mets truly believe they are never out of a game until the final out falls.
“Every team has to kind of feel each other out,” said outfielder Brandon Nimmo. “You’ve got new guys, you have to find out, ‘OK, what’s this team going to be?’ This team has just been really gritty. It doesn’t have to look pretty, it’s just finding a way to win. That, for me, has been the most evident thing here early on that I’m just really proud of.”
The Mets say Soto fits right in with that style of play, and whether you see it or you don’t, sometimes you might have to ask yourself what it is that you’re rooting for.
“When you sign a contract like that, it’s probably never going to be enough,” Nimmo said. “But he’s just going to be him and he’s going to do what he needs to do in order to help us win that day. He’s doing that right now. So for us in this clubhouse, he’s doing exactly what he needs to do and he’s been amazing.”
Last year, Lindor got off to an ice-cold start before putting up MVP-caliber numbers. The Mets know Soto is capable of the same. Manager Carlos Mendoza said Soto’s swing is “getting there” and with warmer weather coming, the ball will start to carry more in Citi Field. Soto’s career average in April is lower than it is any other month (.257). Two years ago with the San Diego Padres he hit just .202 in April.
Of course, it’s much easier to struggle in San Diego than it is in New York City, and Soto knew what he was getting himself into when he signed on to play another 15 years in New York after a year of being heavily scrutinized in the Bronx. But for the most part, the chatter has been outside of Citi Field. The fans in Flushing have given Soto ovations and raucous cheers every time he’s stepped up to the plate.
Soto may not get an ovation at Nats Park this weekend. While some will welcome him, remembering how important he was in bringing a World Series title to the city, the reception he gets matters little. The Mets are the best team in baseball at the moment. The Nats, meanwhile, are in Year 4 of a rebuild. The entire Mets squad could get booed and no one would think much of it based on where the two teams are in the standings.
If anything, Soto’s presence adds a new wrinkle in a rivalry that has lost its luster over the last five years.
“Everyone is going to have an opinion,” Nimmo said. “In this clubhouse, we’re really proud of him.”
