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Baseball fans tend to get a bit too caught up in early season sample sizes, but New York Mets fans have every right to be upset with the way Juan Soto has kicked off his tenure in orange and blue. Soto finished the team’s six game road trip going 0 for 5 with three strikeouts and a game changing double-play with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth. Soto’s two home run game on Tuesday felt like a potential turning point but Wednesday was two big steps back.
Juan Soto and his new fanbase are both feeling the pressure for him to perform
The Mets went 3-3 on a road trip against subpar competition and Soto went just 3 for 17 with five walks. It is okay to be upset with the way Soto has performed while also staying optimistic that things can change in a hurry. When the 26-year-old signed his $765 million dollar contract, fans were promised a generational hitter who is only getting started. That is not being questioned, but that hitter has yet to be seen through the first 18 games of the season.
Soto is still fifth in the league in walks with a respectable .392 on base percentage but let’s get real, his .250 average with three home runs and seven extra base hits is simply not good enough. The controversy sparked from his comments to Mike Puma this week certainly hasn’t helped make his new fanbase feel any better either.
Adding fuel to the fire, the Mets and Yankees social media back and forth may last for all 15 years of Soto’s contract but right now the guys in the Bronx are having their turn to laugh it up. While that may lack importance, it certainly isn’t very fun to watch. The first installment of this year’s Subway Series is only about a month away at the end of May.
No one would be surprised if Soto turns around and hits .320 with five home runs during the Mets upcoming seven game homestand but until things turn for the best, fans should not feel bad about expecting more from the biggest and most expensive acquisition in franchise history.