The Philadelphia Phillies have Juan Soto’s number, and they’ll be liable to dial it as often as they will in 2025.
Phillies pitchers have been dominant vs. Juan Soto of late
That’s because a large portion of the Phillies’ featured pitching staff — rotation and bullpen alike — have recently had profound success against the generational talent. Philadelphia was downed by the New York Mets in the 2024 National League Division Series. The Mets having Soto on board for the next 15 years makes them an even stronger foe.
Nevertheless, the Phillies may not need to fear when going up against him on the mound. MLB.com’s Paul Casella shared an incredible string of stats highlighting the contrast in the Dominican superstar’s overall productivity at the plate compared to that against Philadelphia’s lineup:
“Overall, seven Phillies pitchers have faced Soto at least five times — and the slugger with a .953 career OPS has a sub-.900 OPS against all but one of them (including postseason):
Soto vs. Phillies’ starting rotation
Wheeler: 13-for-51 (.255), 3 HR, 15 K’s, 13 BB, .877 OPS
Nola: 10-for-38 (.263), 3 HR, 9 K’s, 15 BB, 1.051 OPS
Ranger Suárez: 0-for-12, 4 K’s, 1 BB, .133 OPS
Taijuan Walker: 4-for-13 (.308), 1 K, 2 BB, .862 OPS
Cristopher Sánchez: 2-for-7 (.286), 4 K’s 0 BB, .571 OPS
Soto vs. Phillies’ bullpen (minimum 5 plate appearances)
José Alvarado: 3-for-13 (.231), 2 K’s, 5 BB, 0 XBH, .675 OPS
Matt Strahm: 1-for-5 (.200), 2 K’s, 2 BB, .575 OPS”
Phillies’ success vs. Soto could hold major weight in future
Soto was strikingly efficient in 2024, and the postseason was no different. He hit no less than .286 in any of the three series his New York Yankees played. Nevertheless, with the efficacy that the Phillies’ pitchers have had against the 26-year-old, they have a great chance to contain his hot bat in the upcoming regular season and stymie his output in the playoffs should they face his Mets again next fall.
