Inside The Mets

Mets' Juan Soto receives disrespectful position ranking

New York Mets slugger Juan Soto was not given any respect in a recent position power ranking.
Grant Young|
May 4, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) is brushed back during while batting in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images
May 4, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) is brushed back during while batting in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

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It's no secret that New York Mets slugger Juan Soto hasn't necessarily lived up to the massive expectations that came with him signing the biggest contract in sports history this past offseason.

Heading into the Mets' May 5 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Soto is hitting .256 with an .808 OPS, 5 home runs, and 14 RBIs. While this is still above average, even Soto would agree that he's capable of much, much more.

However, there's little doubt that Soto is going to catch fire at some point, given that he's not just one of the most talented right fielders in all of baseball but among the most talented players overall.

Apparently Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter doesn't share this sentiment, as the B/R Walk-Off X account posted a graphic on May 5 that listed Reuter's current ranking of the 10 best right fielders in baseball right now.

Juan Soto is ranked No. 9.

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In front of him (in order) is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., Diamondbacks hitter Corbin Carroll, Cubs lefty Kyle Tucker, Red Sox icon Wilyer Abreu, Dodgers hitter Teoscar Hernández, Blue Jays slugger George Springer, and Giants player Mike Yastrzemski.

Reuter ranked every MLB starting right fielder on March 17 and had Soto at No. 2 overall, behind only Judge. It's somewhat absurd that Soto would drop this significantly in less than two months, but everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

Of course, there are merely power rankings. Soto could be back to the top of this list in a few weeks' time if (and when) he catches fire.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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