Sometimes greatness forgets it’s allowed to stumble. And in the case of New York Mets superstar Juan Soto, one of baseball’s best players, the weight of expectation is pressing harder than a 95-mph fastball on the hands.
Just months removed from signing a jaw-dropping 15-year, $765 million deal to wear a Mets uniform, Soto has been… well, ordinary.
And not “baseball ordinary,” which is still elite—truly, shockingly ordinary.
A start that no one saw coming
Across his last 16 games, Soto owns a 24 wRC+ and a sub-.400 OPS. For context, that’s production more commonly seen from bench bats, not someone who posted a 180 wRC+ just last season in Yankee pinstripes.
His full-season 113 wRC+ still reflects an above-average hitter, but it pales next to his career 156 mark. A .224 batting average? A .745 OPS? Those aren’t the numbers anyone expected—least of all Soto himself.
The weight of expectations and a $765 million contract
There’s a storm brewing under Soto’s calm demeanor. He’s not just playing baseball. He’s trying to justify nearly a billion dollars, a franchise’s hopes, and a fanbase’s growing impatience.
And that’s not just pressure. It’s pressure dipped in neon lights, played out in front of tens of thousands of eyes every night at Citi Field.
David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, sees it too. “Do I think he’s trying to do a little bit too much right now? Yeah,” he said on Friday. “And that is natural for a player who cares about improving.”
That quiet acknowledgment says a lot. Soto isn’t slumping because he doesn’t care. He’s slumping because he does.
The mental game within the game
Baseball is cruel in its quiet demands. The more you chase success, the more it slips away like grains of sand through determined fingers. Soto isn’t swinging and missing; he’s swinging and pressing.
That’s what Stearns is hinting at. Soto may be trying to hit a three-run homer every at-bat when what’s needed is patience. Take it pitch by pitch. Trust the process that made him elite.
Imagine trying to thread a needle, but the more you focus, the more your hand trembles. That’s where Soto is right now—squeezing the bat too tightly, thinking instead of reacting.
It’s not about talent—it’s about timing
There’s no question about Soto’s skill. You don’t post a 180 wRC+ and become one of the game’s premier offensive forces by accident. But even the best hitters sometimes forget to let the game come to them.
Perhaps it’s just about rhythm. Maybe he needs one opposite-field single, one moonshot into the second deck, to click back into gear.
The bat speed hasn’t fully vanished, even if it has dipped a bit. The eye at the plate is still sharp. What’s missing is freedom—the kind that comes when pressure isn’t screaming in your ear.
Letting go to level up
It’s easy to forget that Soto is only 26. Most players at that age are still learning who they are in this game. Soto already has a World Series ring, All-Star nods, and a megadeal—but he’s still human.
Sometimes, greatness needs a reminder to stop gripping the steering wheel so tight. Maybe Soto needs to forget the contract, the crowd, and the headlines—and just play.
He’s not broken. He’s burdened. And if he can shake that weight off his shoulders, the league better brace itself—because when Juan Soto finds himself again, the baseball world will feel it.
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