Mets hitting on all cylinders, even with Juan Soto's sputtering offense
Juan Soto #22 of the Mets reacts after striking out to end the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Two things about the Mets’ remarkable start to this season that were difficult to reconcile on the final day of April, which ended with Tuesday night’s 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks at Citi Field.
How was it possible for the NL East leaders to be tied with the Dodgers for the best record in the majors, at 21-10, and yet Juan Soto’s $765 million bat play such a minor role through the first five weeks?
Soto again had his chances to be a hero Wednesday, but went 0-for-4 with a ninth-inning walk during the Mets’ failed late rally. One of his best opportunities came in the seventh, with the Mets down, 2-1, and Tyrone Taylor on second base, but Soto swung on a 3-and-0 fastball and flew out to leftfield. No surprise that Soto didn’t take a pitch in that situation — in 12 plate appearances this season after getting to 3-and-0, Soto has eight walks, two strikeouts and one single.
But rather than lament Soto’s inability so far to live up to his generational talent label, the bigger takeaway so far is what the Mets could be capable of once he does find his shuffle again — presumably in the not-too-distant future. Mark Vientos continued his upswing with a third-inning homer off D-backs ace Corbin Burnes, his fourth in 15 games, but also whiffed with the bases loaded in the ninth.
“There’s more there,” Vientos said of the Mets’ offense (0-for-10 with RISP, stranding 13), which couldn’t muster enough Wednesday to support a solid pitching effort from opener Huascar Brazoban and bulk reliever Brandon Waddell. “And that’s the scary part.”
That’s where Soto comes in. After all, Soto was brought to Flushing to be the offensive engine, not a bystander to the nightly heroics of the Mets’ MVP candidates, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor. But they’ve rolled through April with fairly pedestrian un-Soto-like numbers from their No. 2 guy, the premier spot reserved for a team’s most dangerous bat.
Through Wednesday, Soto is hitting .241 with three homers, 12 RBIs and a .752 OPS — a stat line that still put him among the top performers for an underachieving Mets’ lineup, but in a different universe from what he’s accustomed to.
A year ago, Soto had the entire Yankees lineup on his back while carrying a slumping Aaron Judge. But now he’s mostly been along for the ride with the Mets, who have relied on MLB’s best pitching staff and stellar defense in sprinting to the fourth-best start in franchise history.
Fortunately for Soto and the Mets, Alonso is having a monster contract push, with a 1.131 OPS that ranks behind only Judge (1.282) and 28 RBIs, a total that’s third-best in the majors. He’s even in the batting title conversation, as his .343 average is fifth. Lindor, who had two more hits Wednesday, also has put to rest any talk of his typical slow starts in recent weeks, with a 1.143 OPS, five homers and 10 RBIs over his last dozen games.
Besides those two, the lineup’s production had been sporadic, obviously boosted by Monday’s 19-5 annihilation of the Nats. Brandon Nimmo essentially matched his output for the entire month with nine RBIs. Before the Mets could see if the rebound was for real, however, Nimmo was out of the starting lineup for the first two games of the Diamondbacks series with flu-like symptoms (he grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth).
Scoring 27 runs in a two-day span, however, put the Mets in a much more respectable place from an offensive standpoint, which was supposed to the focus of their 2025 roster. Heading into Wednesday, the Mets’ .738 OPS ranked eight in the majors and their 4.83 runs per game was ninth — not bad for a group that had a third baseman with a .662 OPS (Vientos) and a .184-hitting DH (Starting Marte) in that night’s lineup.
The Mets did get two crucial components back over the weekend, however, that finally put them back at full strength in Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez. On Wednesday, McNeil had an infield hit and two walks, including an intentional one to load the bases in the ninth. But Alvarez (0-for-4) grounded out to end the game.
“We created a lot of traffic,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We just came up short.”
The Mets were 13-1 at Citi Field, the best home start in franchise history, with the top winning percentage (.929) in the majors. Through it all, Soto had yet to homer — the closest call narrowly missed the rightfield foul pole during the previous homestand — but his meager .707 OPS at Citi was still third-best on the team. For now, Mendoza is clinging to some of the positive signs with Soto — more line drives, more opposite-field contact — even if the tangible results aren’t quite showing up yet.
“He’s giving quality at-bats,” Mendoza said. “He’ll be all right.”
Eventually, sure. But the silver lining? The Mets are fine. And should only get better at the plate from here.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
