Quinton Fesq
Juan Soto is entering his second year with the New York Mets, and he has one massive goal on his mind. He wants to win the National League MVP. He has put together incredible numbers year after year, but there is always someone standing in his way. Right now, that guy is Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani took home the award unanimously in 2025, leaving Soto with a third-place finish. But Soto is not the type to settle for third. He respects the Los Angeles Dodgers star, but he is ready to take the crown for himself.
The Ohtani Problem
Beating Ohtani is no small task. The guy has won the MVP in both of his seasons since moving to the National League. What makes Ohtani so hard to beat is his ability to play both sides of the ball. Even when another hitter puts up better offensive numbers, Ohtani uses his pitching to pull ahead in the race.
Just look at his 2025 season. Ohtani slashed .282/.392/.622 with 55 home runs, and he also posted a 2.87 ERA over 14 starts on the mound. That is a huge mountain to climb. But Soto embraces the challenge. In an interview with MLB reporter Anthony DiComo, Soto made his feelings clear. “He’s really good. He’s really good,” Soto said. “I’ve just got to beat him. Definitely, it’s not going to be easy, but I’ve got to find a way to beat him”.
Digging Into The Analytics
Here is the thing about Soto. He is uniquely built to challenge those crazy numbers with his bat. In 2025, he played 160 games and slashed .263/.396/.525 with 43 home runs and 105 runs batted in. If you pull up his Baseball Savant page, the advanced metrics show just how dominant he is at the plate.
He routinely ranks at the very top of the league in expected weighted on-base average and hard-hit rate. He hits the ball extremely hard, and he forces pitchers to work for every single strike. According to FanGraphs, he posted a 156 wRC+ last season, meaning he was 56 percent better than the average major league hitter. He simply does not give away at-bats. He led the league in walks and on-base percentage while putting up a .921 OPS.
And Soto is finding new ways to add value outside of just hitting homers. He made a huge leap on the basepaths last year. He made baserunning a clear focal point and actually co-led the National League in stolen bases with 38. He knows he cannot just stay the same if he wants to win. He told DiComo, “I feel like everybody tries to do better than what they did before”. He added, “I would definitely love to be better around the bases and better around the outfield. Even hitting, I try to keep my hitting increased. Thank God I’ve been doing well the past couple seasons”.
He is also taking steps to get more comfortable on defense. He is moving from right field over to left field as part of the retooled roster for the Mets. He told SNY that he feels he could work a little harder and have a little more fun with it this year.
The Path To The Crown
Soto is pushing himself to reach the highest levels of baseball history. He really wants to become the first Dominican-born player to win the MVP since Albert Pujols took it home in 2009. To make that happen, Soto understands he has to put up the kind of numbers we saw from Pujols in his prime.
When asked what else he can improve offensively, Soto told DiComo, “I feel like in every standpoint. Everybody knows about walks and everything, but I try to keep showing power. I try to bring the average a little bit higher, maybe”. He knows that when you look at the greatest seasons in history, you have to match that level. Soto has already placed in the top 10 of MVP voting six times in his eight years in the big leagues. He is right on the doorstep of winning the biggest individual award in the sport.
This battle between two massive stars is just getting started. Both Soto and Ohtani have guaranteed contracts as National League players all the way through 2033. Soto knows Ohtani will be an MVP threat every single season they play against each other. But that reality does not scare him at all. When talking about dealing with Ohtani being there every year, Soto had a perfect response. He told DiComo, “I’m going to be there every year, too”. He followed that up with a warning to the Dodgers star. “So he better keep doing what he’s doing, because I’m coming”. That is exactly the kind of fire Mets fans want to see from their superstar.
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