For the second time in as many weeks, Juan Soto produced in a big way against the Arizona Diamondbacks. On May 1, he had a two-home run game in a 4-2 loss at Citi Field. Six days later, Soto had a similar type of performance at the plate against Arizona. The superstar outfielder led the New York Mets to a 7-1 victory Wednesday, having his second two-home run game in the month of May.
He opened the scoring in the top of the sixth inning with a solo home run to deep center field. Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly threw a 92 MPH fastball, and Soto got all of it, hitting it over the 25-foot wall at Chase Field. His sixth home run of the season. Two innings later, he added his second bomb of the afternoon. Facing left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks, Soto got an 85 MPH cutter over the outer part of the zone. He went with the pitch, hitting an opposite-field home run just over the left field wall to make it 4-0 Mets.
It couldn’t come at a better time, as the Mets were on the verge of losing a third straight series. Instead, Soto stopped the bleeding and led the way to an important series victory on the road. “I am seeing the ball well. Just trying to make hard contact everywhere I go. Not trying to do too much. Just try to make sure I hit the ball, square it up and then see what happens,” Soto said postgame.
A lot has been made of his start to the season. Has Soto been at his best? Probably not, no. Has he consistently executed in big spots, with runners in scoring position? Not particularly. With that being said, there is no denying that Soto is starting to heat up. Over his last 19 games, he is slashing .300/.407/.543 with four home runs and 10 runs batted in. In the month of May, he is hitting .346 with a 1.339 OPS across 33 plate appearances. The Soto fans hoped to see right from the jump this season has arrived and is here to stay.
“I think for two weeks now he’s continued to have really good at-bats, day in and day out,” manager Carlos Mendoza said about Soto. For the season, he owns a 55.7% hard hit rate. That is a pretty significant increase from his 52.3% hard hit rate for his career. His average exit velocity for the season is 93.9 MPH, up from 92.3 MPH for his career. Early on, Soto’s hard contact results are outs. Now, those good swing decisions are turning into positive results. It was only a matter of time.
The Mets’ offense has only really scratched the surface so far.
Pete Alonso has been firing on all cylinders.
Francisco Lindor is off to a much better start in comparison to last season. But beyond those two, the rest of the group has gone through ups and downs. With Soto beginning to heat up, the top of the order becomes even trickier to navigate. This is just a glimpse of what it could look like.
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