Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, spent a lot of money on All-Star outfielder Juan Soto and is still waiting for a return on his investment. Soto signed a record-breaking 15-year contract for $765 million in December. Despite the Mets’ league-leading 20-9 record, the four-time All-Star is batting only.257 with three home runs and a.787 OPS. If Cohen is panicking, he isn’t showing it. During an appearance on “The Show” podcast earlier this week, Cohen noted that Soto continues to succeed at getting on base, allowing first baseman Pete Alonso to drive him in. With 27 RBI, Alonso trails just New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and San Francisco Giants designated hitter Wilmer Flores for the MLB lead.
Both have 28, and Judge is on track for his fourth 100-RBI season. “It’s very subtle how that works, and you can’t just look at it in a very narrow sense,” Cohen told me. Cohen praised Soto’s ability to work counts and extend at-bats. Soto has drawn 21 walks and 19 strikeouts, but his.378 on-base percentage is the lowest of his career. Soto’s most serious flaw is undoubtedly a lack of power. The five-time Silver Slugger has three home runs in 29 games, putting him on track for an astonishingly low 17.
“I think, if you ask him, he’ll probably say it’s not going as what he hoped,” Cohen told me. Soto has never hit fewer than 22 home runs in a full season. It’s also worth remembering that he hit 13 home runs in 47 games during the abbreviated 2020 season; if not for the pandemic, he’d be on pace for 35 homers in 127 games. “I mean, he is completely focused on baseball,” Cohen continued. “He is a pure hitter. Let’s discuss this at the end of the year.”
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