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The pressure of delivering in his debut season for the New York Mets was huge on Juan Soto as he signed the largest contract in Major League Baseball history at a whopping $765 million for 15 long years. But, things haven't been the way he had expected as he suffered a slump to start the season.
What did Derek Jitter say about Juan Soto?
Juan Soto is hitting at .231 with 28 RBIs and nine home runs along his name. On Saturday, he delivered a clutch performance against Colorado Rockies as he registered a homer which ended a long 17-game streak without a home run.
He has been poor at the plate as his swing rate is the lowest of his career at 34.3% and has watched more pitches fall in the strike zone at 21.9% being the lowest of his career.
New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter, during the FOX broadcast, shared his honest thoughts on the pressure on Juan Soto. He urged the fans to be patient with their star player as he will be sticking for a very long time.
I tell you, all of the Mets fans are very concerned right now, because this is the guy—the big acquisition—who’s single-handedly gonna take you to the World Series and help you win a championship. You stole him from the Yankees, right? Is it fair? Absolutely not. But that’s the expectation.
Look, Juan Soto is going to be there for a long time. We were joking earlier—my two oldest are in first grade and second grade. They'll be finishing college, and Juan Soto will still be playing for the New York Mets. He's going to be there for a long time. He’s going to hit, he’s gonna bounce back, because he’s just too good of a player, Jeter said.
Alex Rodriguez on Juan Soto not having Aaron Judge behind him
During the same broadcast, Jeter's colleague and former teammate, Alex Rodriguez discussed the struggles of Soto. Having signed as a free agent to a team in New York, Rodriguez put light on the pressure of playing there. Also, his plate presence during his time at the Yankees was helped and improved by having Aaron Judge hitting behind him.
[The pressure] is real. Now he’s doing it across town. You doesn’t have the equity you built in New York last year. You took them to the World Series. Now you have no choice. You don't have Aaron Judge. You don't have that company. You have a different set of guys.
But look, I played there. That pressure is never going to go away. Over 156or 16 years, Juan Soto will get used to it. He’s a great player, and I believe he’ll get it right. But it will be different than it was in New York, where he had a much smaller park and Aaron Judge offensively behind as a shadow, Rodriguez said.
Despite Juan Soto's recent struggles, others in the roster have stepped up for the franchise. They have a record of 36-22 and lead the NL East, jointly with the Philadelphia Phillies.
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