Mets' Juan Soto identifies what has led to slow start to 2025 season

New York Mets' outfielder Juan Soto has gotten off to a slow start to the 2025 campaign, but believes he knows exactly why he hasn't lived up to the massive expectations so far.

Apr 20, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) singles during the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are tied for the best record in baseball so far this season, a feat that is even more impressive because they have gotten relatively little production from star outfielder Juan Soto.

The crowd went wild last night when it looked like Soto crushed his first homer at Citi Field as a Met, but the fact it went just foul is an apt metaphor for the start of his career in Flushing.

Soto is hitting just .244 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and a .785 OPS in his first 23 games in Flushing. That production has still been worth 0.8 Wins Above Replacement, which trails only Pete Alonso among Mets' position players, but the lack of power and low batting average have been disappointments.

While there have been plenty of theories bandied about as to what Soto's issues have been, the star slugger believes it is simply a matter of getting into a better rhythm. Soto told Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media that he is "working on my timing" and that "I'm still not at the point that I want to be, but I've been feeling better little by little every day."

There have been signs that Soto is starting to warm up, including a strong performance in the four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals; he went 5-for-10 over the final three games and stroked a go-ahead two-run double in Sunday's win. Even if Soto isn't off to his hottest start yet, his presence has had a positive impact on Pete Alonso, who is hitting far better than he did at any point last season, and Francisco Lindor, who is off to his fastest start as a Met with Soto hitting behind him.

Read More: Mets' Francisco Lindor makes history after latest multi-homer game

Soto's historical splits have also suggested that this slow start isn't unusual since his career lines of a .261 batting average and .864 OPS prior to May 1st are more in line with this year's April production than his torrid start in the Bronx last season. The Mets will be in good shape once Soto finally goes on a heater since he is capable of carrying a team for weeks when he's rolling, which is a scary prospect for the rest of baseball since the rest of the team is doing great without an elite Soto effort.

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