New York Mets superstar Juan Soto didn’t seem like himself early in the season, but it was only a matter of time before he rediscovered his form at the plate.
The four-time All-MLB honoree struggled in April, slashing .232/.347/.345, and continued to battle through May with a .219/.345/.448 line. However, he was on fire in June, hitting .340/.522/.700 heading into Wednesday’s 0-for-4 outing against the Atlanta Braves. If Soto keeps hitting above .300 in the coming months, the Mets could very well run away with the NL’s top seed.
Even with Soto’s somewhat underwhelming .248/.387/.462 line for the season, New York entered Thursday in first place in the NL East. For some perspective, Soto’s career slash line is .282/.418/.527, showing just how much room he still has to elevate his game.
Soto reminded the baseball world what he’s capable of with his latest history-making accomplishment on Thursday.
The 26-year-old notched his 1,000th career hit, joining Mickey Mantle and Mel Ott as the only players to ever record 1,000 hits, 700 walks, and 200 homers before turning 27 (h/t Bob Nightengale of USA Today). He turns 27 on Oct. 25.
The Mets reacted to this news with a post on X.
Soto signed with the Washington Nationals as an international free agent in 2015 before making his MLB debut in 2018. The native Dominican was the runner-up for the NL Rookie of the Year Award that season and helped lead the Nationals to their first-ever championship the following season.
Soto won the NL batting title in 2020 with a .351 average and was the NL MVP runner-up in 2021. The Nationals traded him to the San Diego Padres in August 2022, who then sent him to the New York Yankees in December 2023.
He then helped lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance in 15 years before signing a record 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets in December 2024.
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