The Generational Juan Soto Admits That He Is Being Pitched To Differently Now That He Doesn't Have "The Best Hitter In Baseball" Batting Behind Him In Aaron Judge
Jim McIsaac. Getty Images.The Score- Juan Soto is still adjusting to life as a New York Met. MLB's highest-paid player believes pitchers are attacking him differently now that he doesn't have former teammate Aaron Judge protecting him in the New York Yankees' lineup.
"It's definitely different," Soto said of pitchers' approach, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. "I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me. I was getting more attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks and things like that. I was pitched differently last year."
Whoever had April 15th as the day a Juan Soto quote was blown out of proportion by the local media, come collect your prize! Hot take New York sports talk radio hosts need not apply though since you know they are going to milk this story for all its worth to fill the airwaves since they haven't had a chance to go to their trusty "Dump on the Mets" strategy since all the team has done is keep winning all the way to the top of the NL East.
Now let me say this about that quote. Do I wish Juan Soto didn't say it since it could unleash a hornets nest on the internet full of Yankees fans' superiority complexes and Mets fans' inferiority complexes? I guess. Juan may have a year of playing in New York under his belt, but he is clearly still learning how different the two teams are covered by the media.
But at the same time, he isn't wrong. Even the biggest Yankees hater I know (KFC) can admit that Aaron Judge is the best hitter in baseball, at least until the leaves change and the calendar flips to October. Anybody suggesting different or that batting in front of a monster like that doesn't make a difference in how pitcher's pitch to you flat out doesn't watch baseball.
Everyone with a brain knew Soto was trading in batting in front of Aaron Judge to bat between Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, which isn't a bad consolation prize when you add in 3/4 billion dollars of Steve Cohen's money. Juan even said it himself in the article that people will politely ignore or not even read because that's just how things go in 2025.
"Everybody has got a role and I feel as a team, we have got to attack pitchers as a team," Soto said. "We don't have to attack the pitchers as individuals. If they don't want to pitch to me, I just pass the baton and let (Alonso) do his thing. If they don't want to pitch to him, he should do the same thing."
All Pete has done with that baton is beat the everliving shit out of baseballs with it as he looks to have his own sweepstakes after opting out this winter.
A million home runs isn't cool. You know what's really cool? A billion wins caused by transforming the whole lineup along with having a pitching lab that puts up these kind of stats:
Okay I lied. A million home runs is maybe the coolest thing in the history of the world. But the Mets cruising in first place and being the only team that hasn't lost consecutive games this season despite the offense not fully waking up yet is pretty fucking cool and we are blessed to have Juan Soto playing a role in doing that with the New York Metropolitans Baseball Club for the next 15 years. Hopefully over that time he learns that anything said about the other team in town will be picked apart by every media member and fan in the Tri-State Area.
