The obvious NY Mets record you can guarantee Juan Soto breaks more than once

Will Juan Soto hit more home runs than Pete Alonso in a single-season? Is he bound to drive in more runs than the Polar Bear’s franchise-record 131 from 2022? There are a lot of accomplishments on the way for Soto in his tenure with the New York Mets. By the end of his contract, we should be certain that a couple of career records fall over the course of what could be a 15-year stint in Queens.

In 2025, one not so hallowed record is in danger of falling. It’s a statistic Soto has led the league three times in his career. Four times he has already surpassed the total set by another Mets player.

Pencil Juan Soto in to own the single-season Mets walk record a few times over

Most walks in a season is hardly a record fans celebrate. If you’ve been around long enough or at least had some time to search through the club’s history, you might recall who set it.

Back in 1999, first baseman John Olerud ended his three-year stint with the Mets with another terrific campaign. It included 125 walks, topping the previous franchise record of 97 shared by Keith Hernandez (1984) and Darryl Strawberry (1987). Olerud is the only player in Mets history to hit triple digits with walks. With all of the bases on balls came a .427 OBP—the second highest in Mets history for a player. Olerud actually set the high watermark a year prior with a .447 OBP. Hitting .354, another record for a single season, seemed to help out.

Soto does a lot of things well. Nothing, however, is more elite than his eye at the plate. His lifetime .421 OBP is the highest among all active players. Coming off a year where he walked 129 times with the New York Yankees, the lowest number in the last four seasons for him, would be enough to surpass Olerud.

Patience at the plate isn’t the most ballyhooed attribute a player can bring to the field. Appreciated by fans more than it was during the days of Olerud, Soto’s above average home run power makes him more than a frustrating player who looks for the free pass and often finds himself on the wrong side with too many strikeouts. He has actually become a guy who walks more than he strikes out. Since 2020, he has yet to have a year with more strike three calls against him than ball fours.

No player since Olerud has come close to challenging for the franchise record. Edgardo Alfonzo’s 95 walks in 2000 is the closest. David Wright went over 90 a couple of times. Michael Conforto topping 80 twice is the most recent attempt. Soto is a whole different breed of walk machine. Olerud’s single-season batting average isn’t in danger of falling. His 125 walks may get passed by Labor Day some years.