NEW YORK — It is no longer accurate to say Juan Soto is having a down year, even by his own lofty standards. In April and May, sure — Soto was good, not great. In June, he did his best to make up for lost time; in July, he backslid a bit.
But in August, Soto has once again risen, bringing his overall numbers back to a place of sublimity. Soto’s two home runs Saturday fueled the Mets’ six-run comeback in what — through no fault of his own — became an 11-8 loss to the Marlins at Citi Field. Through 136 games, Soto leads the Mets in homers (35) and runs scored (102) and, implausibly, is tied for the team lead in stolen bases (25). With a month to go, he has a realistic shot at a 30-30 season.
Most importantly, Soto is peaking at a crucial time for the Mets, who will need him at his best if they wish to shake off the dust of April through August and make a real run at some October magic.
“Special player, man,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Special hitter. He’s locked in right now.”
It wasn’t just Soto who lifted the Mets after David Peterson allowed a career-worst eight earned runs in two innings. Reliever Chris Devenski followed with three scoreless innings to give the Mets a chance at a comeback, which they grabbed without much hesitation. In the third inning, after Soto walked and stole his 24th base, Mark Vientos hit a three-run homer. In the fourth, Soto hit a solo shot off Edward Cabrera. In the sixth, he “crushed” — his word — a game-tying, two-run homer off Cade Gibson.
For his final act in the eighth inning, Soto stole his 25th base, setting the Mets up for another game-tying hit that never quite happened. He reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances and scored three times on the night, with two homers, two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
“It feels good, but at the end of the day, you want to win the game,” Soto said. “Even if you come through or not, you want to win the game. So it’s not all that satisfying when you lose the game.”
Still, as Mendoza noted, “you look up at the board, [and it’s] impressive numbers” for Soto. While it’s true that Soto’s on-base percentage is the lowest of his career while his batting average and slugging percentage are the second-lowest, his other major statistics are in line with or better than his norms.
Soto is on pace for 42 home runs, which would set a career high. He has scored 102 runs, which is the fourth most of his career. He’s trending to reach 100 RBIs for the fourth time. He’s one of eight qualified Major Leaguers with an OPS over .900. And of course, there are the stolen bases; Soto is not only on pace for exactly 30 of those, giving him a real chance at his first 30-30 season (not to mention a rare 40-30 campaign), but he’s also swiping bags more frequently in high-leverage spots.
“I think it would be really cool,” Soto said of a potential 30-30 season. “I would be more excited to see my stolen bases, how can I help the team with my stolen bases? … It’s not always going to work, but definitely, it’s worth a shot.”
Regardless of whether Soto goes 30-30, he’s clearly working on another Hall of Fame-caliber season despite the (relatively) slow start. As part of his heroics on Saturday, Soto matched Mickey Mantle for the most games (115) with a homer and a walk before age 27. He also became the first player in MLB history to hit 35-plus homers for three different teams in three consecutive seasons.
Saturday, Soto’s efforts went for naught in a loss. It’s not a stretch, however, to think that continued strong play could put the Mets in a better late-season spot.
“I’ve just been working on my swing and working on my approach,” Soto said, “to be ready in the right moment.”
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