Juan Soto Goes Yard In His First Mets At-Bat, Which Proves He'll Bat 1.000 This Year

The Juan Soto hype train is off to a phenomenal start in the Big Apple.

Back in December, the New York Mets made history by giving Soto the biggest contract in sports history, to the tune of $765 million over the span of 15 years. That exceeds the previous richest contract the Los Angeles Dodgers gave to two-way star Shohei Ohtani. The outfielder was highly sought after on the free agent market because he is one of the best hitters in the game, and he provides solid defense. 

New York Mets' Juan Soto during a spring training workout in Port St. Lucie, Florida on Feb. 16, 2025. (Photo by Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

But with that level of investment comes a massive level of expectation. Like seriously, if this guy hits anything less than .375 with 40 home runs and 150 RBIs for at least most of the years he’ll be wearing Mets colors, then this contract will be a bust.

Fortunately, Soto got his career off to a good start - even if it was just in spring training. In a preseason game against the Houston Astros, he blasted a 2-1 pitch over the left-centerfield fence - in his first at-bat with the team.

Now, is it great that he got a homerun? Yes. I mean, how lame would it be if he struck out to a guy named Colton Gordon?

But, this is in preseason. No one in New York is going to remember this moment after dinner time tomorrow. The regular season and postseason are where Soto needs to prove his talents are worth $765 million (to be fair, they probably aren’t to begin with, but you get the point).

The Mets season begins on March 27, ironically against Houston. That’s the at-bat that is going to matter, and dictate whether the Soto era gets off to a good start in New York.