AP – Port St. Lucie – It has been some ten years- maybe two or even more- since Port St. Lucie witnessed such a grand spectacle. When Juan Soto stepped out of his car at the Mets’ Clover Park complex, that buzz became electrifying. He was the first to be filmed by a camera set up since 6:30 in the morning to capture his arrival into New York. The hours later, he would walk from the clubhouse to the backfield, with at least two dozen media members–photographers and team staffers–behind him. A representative from the Boras Corporation, Soto’s agency, shadowed him through the ballpark.
Even during his stretching routine, hundreds of fans lined the chain-link fence, eager to catch a glimpse of the superstar.
A New Beginning for the Mets
It is the beginning of a 15-year journey for Soto as a Met. Owner Steve Cohen is expecting that during such time with Soto, the Mets would collect multiple World Series titles. Still, the spring training’s early days are more for getting to know people and settling into a job than for making a big first impression.
“There are a lot more cameras than usual,” manager Carlos Mendoza noted. “You could just feel it, as soon as he stepped on the field and walked toward the batting cage. Once he got inside that cage with the other players, heads turned, almost like, ‘Okay. Here he is.”‘.
To and from Stadium
The crowd that followed Soto in the morning eventually made its way into the stadium to watch his first batting practice session. True to form, Soto delivered a show, launching a ball four-fifths of the way up the batter’s eye screen in center field. Even when he appeared dissatisfied with a swing, the result was still a home run.
“I mean, he’s just a monster,” hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said.
THE RARE MOMENT METS FANS HAD
The Mets don’t have many introductions like this for the most recent times. Francisco Lindor in 2021 would be his grand arrival, but it happened to fall into the pandemic, resulting in mostly empty backfields. And he went on to add his own flavor last decade, though he was not a new signing, and outrageous acts were often contained to restricted areas.
A player may have done that in 2008, when Johan Santana came to save the day, in the peak of his career. Like Santana, Soto comes to a club already among the best in baseball. This means that the Mets could be strengthened in 2025 compared to last year, two wins shy of the National League pennant.
But as Santana’s time made painfully evident, February spectacles do not guarantee October glory. Among the first points going home for Soto during a twenty-minute press conference, he stressed that those were not to be his measurements.
“I’m not trying to do more than I’ve done in the past,” Soto added. “I’m just going to keep [being] the same guy, try to do the same thing I’ve been doing year after year.”
A Legendary Talent
Only 26, but Soto has already done things that are set in stone in history. The only two higher than him at that age with respect to career on-base percentages, with a minimum of 3,000 plate appearances, are Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx. Of all major Current Players with at least 200 home runs, 500 RBIs and 700 walks, Soto is by more than six years the youngest. Most of the others on that list are nearing 40.
“He’s different,” Barnes said. “Everything about him is different. You don’t get contracts like that unless you’re different.”
That being said, the contract is a record-breaking one – 765 million dollars, even more than the 700 million dollars contract Shohei Ohtani has, counting the “deferrals,” that is, income promised later.
Looking Forward
“I’m really happy to know where I’m going to be for the next 15 years, and I’m more than excited to spend it with this group of guys,” Soto said. “
“I’m really happy to know where I’m going to be for the next 15 years, and I’m more than excited to spend it with this group of guys,” Soto said. “I’ve only heard great things about them. Let’s see how everything goes.”
With this new chapter for Soto, Port St. Lucie seems electrified, and October success will remain to be seen, but at present, the Mets and their fans bask in the birth of such generational talent.
