A reason to believe the NY Mets are getting even more from Juan Soto than expected

You overlook a lot of things when it comes to making Juan Soto a match for your team. Your ballpark’s outfield dimensions or the history of how he has performed against other teams within your division can be quickly dismissed. Those things change. The New York Mets didn’t sign him for his history at Citi Field. If that was one of the considerations, could we blame them?

We know Soto has had his days clobbering the Mets. All of those years with the Washington Nationals gave him an opportunity to visit Queens plenty. A total of 35 games at Citi Field as a member of the Nationals, San Diego Padres, or New York Yankees, it’s one of his most frequently visited ballparks and a place where he has been beastly.

Want a reason to think Soto is going to be even better than expected? Monstrous Citi Field numbers should have you excited.

How has Juan Soto hit at Citi Field in his career?

Soto boasts a .333/.466/.709 slash line at Citi Field. He has gone 39 for 117 with 6 doubles, a triple, and 12 home runs. He has driven in 26, scored 29 runs, and has both 28 walks and strikeouts.

The slash line numbers are all above what he has done in his career. Measured against other ballparks, the batting average is tops among places with 100+ plate appearances. The slugging percentage is also number one by an even wider margin.

Soto has hit the Mets well in his career and yet his staggering numbers are far better in their ballpark than they ever were when he wore home whites. An overall .290/.417/.579 slash line in 324 plate appearances shows how Mets pitchers have handled him well away from Flushing. As a home player against the Mets he’s 38 for 149 which makes him a .255 hitter with 7 home runs versus the dozen he has hit as a visitor.

Citi Field isn’t known for its favorable reputation for hitters yet it has done little to stop Soto. It's not as if he has been competing against terrible pitching every year which could explain the success for a player in the early 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, or 2010s. What is it with the start of decades for this franchise?

For what it’s worth, he has hit tremendously well at Truist Park in Atlanta and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Batting averages of .328 and .327 respectively with a combined 25 home runs and 64 RBI in only 348 plate appearances, Soto appears destined to live up to his massive contract. Anyone up for petitioning for more division games?