The New York Mets came into the 2025 MLB season with World Series aspirations. This was a team that was expected to win the NL East. But after their recent slump, where they lost four of the last five games, they’ve now fallen behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the division lead.
This rough patch has sparked criticism of the Mets’ new superstar, Juan Soto, who signed a record-breaking 15-year deal worth $765 million this offseason. Former MLB pitcher and World Series champion Dontrelle Willis said that the team needs more from Soto.
Soto Under Fire Amid Early-Season Struggles
When discussing Soto on MLB on FOX, Willis said, “For $700 million, I don’t want you to walk. I want you to run!” The former pitcher referred to how Soto’s elite plate discipline and ability to draw walks are nice, but this team needs more impact hits that result in home runs and RBIs.
“For $700 million, I don’t want you to walk. I want you to run!”@kevinburkhardt and @DTrainMLB talk about how important it is for Juan Soto to get the impact hits for the Mets pic.twitter.com/X2qHhrOZYJ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX)
This criticism is a bit unfair considering Soto’s numbers. While the former Yankee only has eight home runs in 210 plate appearances, his 132 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) ranks 42nd in MLB. This is a metric that measures a player’s overall offensive production while accounting for park factors.
Even though a 132 wRC+ is well below last year’s 180, it’s still close enough with career norms. From 2021 to 2023, Soto’s wRC+ ranged from 146 to 180. In other words, while yes, it’s a slightly slow start for Soto, there’s no reason to panic.
Expect Soto to Pick Up the Pace
Soto is still showing his trademark elite plate discipline, as highlighted by a 17.6% walk rate and 15.7% strikeout rate. The barrel rate also looks good at 13.6%, which ranks in the 81st percentile, per Baseball Savant.
It’s only a matter of time before this superstar hitter starts getting hot at the plate and hitting home runs.
Understandably, signing a record-setting contract brings increased scrutiny, but fans and analysts need to be mindful that we’re only 48 games into a 162-game season. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Expect Soto to get back on track sooner rather than later.
While it’s unlikely that we’ll see a repeat of last year, given the park’s downgrade from Yankee Stadium to Citi Field, Soto should still be good for 35+ home runs with league-best plate discipline.