PORT ST. LUCIE — Some hitters have a tough time discovering their timing at the beginning of spring. Juan Soto isn’t just some hitter.
The star outfielder who signed a 15-year contract with the Mets over the winter drove a 2-1 fastball from left-hander Colton Gordon over Clover Park’s middle area fence in his first at-bat in a Mets uniform on Saturday. It was solely the Grapefruit League opener, however followers celebrated prefer it was Recreation 7 of the World Collection, displaying simply how nice of an affect Soto has made on his new workforce already.
“With all of the teams I’ve been on, I definitely try to bring the vibes and bring the good energy,” Soto stated after going 1-for-2 with two RBI in opposition to the Houston Astros. “For me, everybody knows who you are and everything, but they’ve got to really see it with their eyes to see what they’ve been talking about.”
A crowd of seven,394 exploded in pleasure. It was the second-largest crowd for a spring opener for the reason that Mets moved to Port St. Lucie in 1988, with simply all of them on their ft as Soto rounded the bases.
“It just feels like the more people that are watching, the more that’s at stake, that’s already when you want Juan in the box, and he does special things,” stated right-hander Clay Holmes, his former Yankees teammate final season. “It was one of those things where in the back of my mind, I’m like, ‘Man, I would not be surprised if he does something here.’ So it’s cool to see. And that’s just him.”
It’s solely spring coaching so we pump the breaks on any hyperbole. The homer got here off of a 26-year-old left-hander who has a complete of 24 video games in Triple-A. Gordon could be a highly-rated prospect in Houston’s system, however Justin Verlander he’s not.
Nonetheless, it’s onerous to disregard the sensation across the workforce with the addition of a generational hitter and a real famous person like Soto. His signing was a seminal second in workforce historical past that marked a altering of the tide within the New York Metropolis market, and the thrill is simply going to develop as we inch towards the beginning of the 2025 season.
“Look, it’s pretty incredible,” stated supervisor Carlos Mendoza. “Having the ability to turn the switch like that, you put a different guy on the mound with a different uniform, and he’s just locked in. Regardless of the results, it was a different guy in the box today.”
Gordon bought him to swing by way of a 2-0 fastball proper earlier than the house run. Soto didn’t miss the second time. It was apparent that even in spring coaching, Soto was able to do some harm.
“When he swung through that fastball you just saw his demeanor on the box,” Mendoza stated. “Then obviously, he goes out there and hits that homer.”
Soto hasn’t all the time been scorching proper out of the February gate like he was within the Mets’ 6-2 win. It could be robust to consider {that a} hitter like him may ever wrestle, however up to now, he has struggled with timing on the plate in early spring video games. Generally spring performances translate into the common season and generally they don’t. For a pure hitter like Soto, it’s extra about seeing the ball and moving into the pace of the sport than precise outcomes.
Over the past three years, Soto made changes in his offseason exercises to have the ability to produce earlier in spring. They labored final season, and his residence run validated the technique this yr as properly. The 26-year-old four-time All-Star is coming off of a 41-homer season with the Yankees, so no matter he’s doing, it’s working.
“I just worked smarter,” Soto stated. “In the past, I’ve worked a lot putting a lot of effort in the off season, but I always get off slow in spring training. So I think this year, the past two, three years, I’ve been working smarter, working on more specific things and trying to do what I needed to do, instead of doing a lot of things.”
Holmes threw three good innings with three strikeouts. Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez additionally drove in runs for the Mets, and catcher Luis Torrens went 2-for-2 with a run scored. Left-hander Danny Younger allowed one run in a single inning and struck out one. Justin Hagenman, who will present beginning pitching depth for the Mets on the Triple-A stage, tossed two scoreless frames.
Soto could have Sunday off with the Mets not but enjoying their regulars in back-to-back video games, however his first look along with his new workforce will undoubtedly go away an enduring impression.
Initially Revealed: February 22, 2025 at 4:59 PM EST
