The New York Mets have a lot of interesting storylines developing in camp right now, but Luis Robert Jr. is the guy completely taking over Spring Training. Fans have been waiting to see what he looks like in blue and orange, and he is not disappointing anyone. He showed up to Port St. Lucie looking motivated and ready to prove a point. We all knew about his massive raw talent when the front office brought him in. Now we are finally getting to see that talent up close and in person. The highlight clips and reports coming out of the back fields are getting really hard to ignore. It feels like he does something new every single day.
Setting Off Radar Guns
The baseball just sounds totally different when it hits his bat. Max Goodman has been all over the Mets camp this month, and his daily reports on Robert are wild to read. During a recent batting practice session, Robert took three casual swings that completely broke the radar gun. He hit balls at 109.9 mph, 109.5 mph, and 105 mph. That middle swing went an estimated 470 feet into the sky. You do not see that kind of raw power very often.
Manager Carlos Mendoza was even asked about how the ball comes off his bat. Mendoza just called it “special” and casually noted that one line drive from the session clocked in at a massive 115 mph. That is elite exit velocity for any player in the league.
And that power is not just for the batting cages. It is already translating to live game situations against real pitching. Goodman posted a great video clip of Robert taking an at-bat against Sean Manaea recently. Robert stood in the box and absolutely smashed a ball off the left field wall. Manaea is a smart, veteran pitcher, and Robert just turned around his pitch with total ease.
It is only the middle of February, but he looks like he is already in mid-season form at the plate. His swing is incredibly fast right now, and the contact he makes is incredibly loud. Mets fans have to love seeing him drive the ball with that much authority so early in the year.
Luis Robert Jr’s Underlying Metrics
We really have to look at his underlying numbers to understand the whole picture with him. His Baseball Savant page shows exactly what kind of player he is right now. His base stats were definitely a bit rough last year. He hit .223 with a .661 OPS and 14 home runs over 431 plate appearances. He really struggled with his plate discipline. He sat in the 9th percentile for Whiff percentage and the 20th percentile for Chase rate. But here is the thing, his athletic tools are still absolutely elite. He sits in the 92nd percentile for bat speed. When he actually squares up the baseball, he does severe damage to it.
The Mets are basically betting on those elite tools carrying over and producing better results this season. His total value as a player is not just tied to his bat, which is great. Even when he goes through slumps at the plate, he brings top-tier defense and speed to the center field grass.
He ranked in the 93rd percentile for Outs Above Average last season. He also posted a 90th percentile sprint speed. He stole 33 bases last year, proving he is a constant threat whenever he gets on the basepaths. If the coaching staff can help him fix his swing decisions, he could easily be one of the most dangerous two-way outfielders in baseball. The raw physical ability is obviously there.
Finding the Right Mentor
So how does he go about fixing that plate discipline issue? Well, he might have found the absolute perfect guy in camp to help him out. Goodman pointed out that Juan Soto and Robert have been spending a ton of time together so far this spring. They were recently spotted making the long walk back to Clover Park together after running defensive drills on one of the back fields.
Soto is famous across the league for his elite eye at the plate and his unmatched swing decisions. If Robert can pick up even a tiny fraction of Soto’s approach to hitting, it could completely change his offensive game. The Mets really need Robert to be a force this year, and pairing him with a guy like Soto is a very smart move. Things are looking very bright for him as we get closer and closer to Opening Day.
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