Juan Soto Joins Exclusive Club With Albert Pujols, 3 Hall of Famers

The New York Mets superstar put himself in the company of some of the game's best.

Sep 22, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) leads off from first base during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Juan Soto has been around the big leagues for long enough to almost forget just how young he is.

Soto is in his ninth big league season, and yet he is somehow still just 27 years old. In comparison, New York Mets rookie starter Nolan McLean is 25 years old, and that's not a wild number, by any means. Soto is an anomaly, and it's why the Mets handed him a mammoth 15-year, $765 million deal ahead of the 2025 season.

With the Mets struggling throughout the season, Soto's greatness likely hasn't been talked about as much as it probably should. But this guy is special. One stat that jumps out is the fact that he's one of just five players in big league history with 250 or more homers and more walks than strikeouts before his 28th birthday, along with Albert Pujols, Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews and Jimmie Foxx, as shared on X by RotoBaller's Eric Cross.

Hitters in MLB history with 250+ HR and more walks than strikeouts before turning 28...

Albert Pujols
Mel Ott
Eddie Mathews
Jimmie Foxx
Juan Soto pic.twitter.com/Ce7SsQz2Ak

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) September 24, 2026

Juan Soto Is Putting Himself Up There With The Greats

Sep 13, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Juan Soto (22) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That's three Hall of Famers and Pujols, who will be in the second that he's eligible. If Soto can keep this up, he's well on his way as well.

On Thursday, Soto went 0-for-3 with a walk. For his career, Soto has 271 long balls and 972 walks, to just 897 strikeouts in 1,204 games played. He's not going to turn 28 years old until October 25. On the season, the young superstar is slashing .274/.393/.522 with 27 homers and 68 RBIs in 108 games played. The only thing that has slowed him down this season is injuries, and yet he has still had a good overall season. Over the last two seasons, he hit over 40 homers and drove in over 100 runs in at least 157 games. His numbers so far this season are on pace with his last few, if he didn't get hurt.

There are few guys in big league history who have been able to start a career like Soto has. He's a five-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, one-time batting champ, one-time Home Run Derby champ and a World Series champion. And, again, he's just 27 years old. He should just get better.

He's already etched his name onto plenty of historic lists and the scary thing is the fact that realistically, we may not have seen his best yet. Theoretically, he should be just starting to enter his prime, and yet he's already historic.