Few players fill up a stat sheet like Juan Soto.
Now in his eighth MLB season, the Mets star already boasts a batting title, more than 200 home runs, three years with more than 100 RBI, and a .948 OPS that ranks third among all hitters since his debut in 2018.
But Soto has never been a burner on the basepaths.
He’s never stolen more than 12 bases in a season — a total he’s reached two times.
That could change this year.
Soto entered Sunday’s Subway Series finale in the Bronx with five steals through 46 team games, putting him on pace for a career-high 18.
Saturday marked the third game in a row that Soto stole a base. It was the first such streak of his career.
“I know that was something that [Soto has been working on] from the beginning with Antoan,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday, referring to Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson.
“Becoming a better baserunner overall. Not necessarily a base-stealer, but a baserunner, and we’ve seen that at times.”
In the first inning of Friday’s series opener, Soto stole second base against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón without a throw.
Then in Saturday’s third inning, Soto took off from second base against Clarke Schmidt and made it to third, again without a throw. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Mark Vientos to put the Mets up 2-1. They won 3-2.
“Stealing third base kind of ended up being the difference,” Mendoza said. “He ends up scoring on a sac fly, and we ended up winning the game by one run.”
Soto entered Sunday with an 0.8 BsR, an advanced metric that measures a player’s baserunning value. He posted a positive BsR in both of his first two MLB seasons but had not in any of the years since. His -3.8 BsR last year with the Yankees marked a career worst.
Last season, Soto finished with seven stolen bases and was caught stealing four times.
He had not been caught stealing this season to begin play Sunday.
“For the six years prior to this one, I’ve seen him pretty much do it all,” Pete Alonso said of Soto’s recent stolen-base surge. “I’m just really happy we have him.”
TAYLOR SITS
Tyrone Taylor was out of the Mets’ starting lineup on Sunday, a day after he experienced cramping in one of his calves.
The center fielder experienced the issue on a head-first dive toward the end of Saturday’s win, according to Mendoza, but did not exit the game.
“I was kind of 50/50 when I was making out the lineup,” Mendoza said. “He’s fine today.”
Jeff McNeil got the start in center field on Sunday.
HERGET CLAIMED
Kevin Herget’s Mets tenure has come to an end.
The Atlanta Braves claimed the right-handed reliever off of waivers on Sunday, three days after the Mets designated him for assignment.
Herget allowed one run in two innings this season with the Mets, who had claimed him off of waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers in November.
