Outfielder Juan Soto is an established star with the New York Mets now, which makes it easy to forget that he struggled early after making the move across town. Soto wound up setting personal highs in many statistical categories, but at the end of April, Soto was hitting just .241 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.
It was a tough position to be in. Superstar outfielders are supposed to produce right away, and the Mets fan base can be notoriously impatient about this kind of thing.
To get advice, Soto ended up turning to another retired outfielder Carlos Betran, who’s been through the pressure of getting a big contract and playing under pressure in Queens.
“He shared that the same thing happened to him once when he was really struggling in New York,” Soto said in an interview on Siendo Honestos with Katherine Hernanadize, which was translated by the New York Post in a piece written by Mark Suleymanov. “Everyone was piling on and the pressure was intense. To get through it, he started carrying a card with all his stats written on it.
“Every time he looked at it, he reminded himself: this is who I am as a player, not the version everyone else is trying to paint. That simple mental reset helped him break out of the slump. Looking back, I’d say that was the last piece of advice that truly made a difference for me.”
Beltran’s experience was similar. He signed with the Mets after hitting seven postseason home runs with the Houston Astros in 2005, and his seven-year, $119 deal was a record contract at the time, according to Suleymanov.
The outfielder struggled with injuries the following season, but when he recovered he went in a three-year tear in which he averaged 33 home runs and 113 RBIs while winning three consecutive Gold Gloves. Beltran now works in the Mets front office as an assistant to GM David Stearns.
Soto’s rebound was just as impressive. He wound up being the first player in Mets history to hit at least 40 home runs with 30 steals, and he also led the league in walks with 127 and an on-base percentage of .396 while tying Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz for the most stolen based in the NL with 38.
“No one wants to be booed,” Beltran said. “But this was expected. This is a guy that last year did an incredible job for the Yankees. He was an asset for the organization. As a free agent, he signed with the Mets. I feel he was even expecting it himself. I think Soto did a great job.”