The thing with bat speed in MLB is it’s not two plus two equals four. And there’s a lot of chatter going around Juan Soto’s declining bat speed.
Soto was all over the news during the offseason when he signed a jaw-dropping 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets.
And with that good money, there was already a lot of pressure on him to perform at an elite level. After all, it wasn’t too long ago when a whole MLB team could be bought for around that price.
However, as we hit the one-third mark of the 2025 season, Juan’s performance hasn’t matched those massive expectations.
To put it simply, he’s struggled. After an incredible 2024 season with the Yankees, he’s taken a noticeable step back this year. As of now, he’s sitting at just eight homers, with a batting average of .233, far below his usual standards.
Recently, the Athletic’s Eno Sarris broke down what goes behind the bat speed numbers we see every now and then.
“What we’re seeing from Soto is, I think last year with Yankee Stadium, he saw that left field, he went and got the ball. His point of contact was out in front of his body more than it ever had been,” Sarris said.
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“His swing is a little bit slower this year and it really started out like terribly, and has gotten a little bit better since. But he still hasn’t gotten back to where he was last year,” he added.
Now, it’s easy to feel a little panic creeping in. Soto’s wOBA is only .340, which is a far cry from his career average of .400.
MLB Analyst Sees Silver Lining Despite Juan Soto’s Declining Bat Speed
With what Eno Sarris said during his conversation, there are some red flags we can’t ignore. Juan Soto’s bat speed has dropped, and he’s also not running as fast as he used to.
These are real concerns, especially for a player who should be entering his physical prime at 26 years old.
So, like every Mets fan, we might wonder what the takeaway here is.
Sure, it’s concerning to see Soto featuring far down the WAR leaderboard, right now, he even trails players earning a fraction of his salary. But he’s also shown some hope and could turn things around once his luck changes.
But before we start sounding the alarms, there’s a silver lining! Soto’s quality of contact remains impressive. Despite some rough luck, his expected wOBA is looking much better at .425, indicating that he’s still making solid contact.
“You get twice as many homers on 73 and 74 mph swings than you do on 70 mph swings. So, it does mean something that he’s lost bat speed; it probably means he’s lost that sort of elite upper-end power,” Sarris said. “But can he hit, you know, 32-34 homers this year, have an OBP of like .420 and be one of the best hitters in the game? Yeah, I think he still can be.”
"Too good of a hitter, too good of a player. He'll be Juan Soto here."
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 28, 2025
Carlos Mendoza on Juan Soto's performance at the plate: pic.twitter.com/xWXiPlFc55
For Mets fans, it’s not quite panic time yet, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on Soto’s progress as the season rolls on. The Mets are off to a solid start, and with a little bit of good fortune, Soto could soon return to being the elite player everyone knows he can be.
Also Read: ESPN Analyst Makes Bold Aaron Judge-Juan Soto Comparison That Will Make Yankees Fans Angry
