Juan Soto -- looking like a bust for the Mets

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

You don't want to walk Soto and add to the Judge problem. That's why you pitch to him. If a pitcher feels forced to throw strikes, strikes are the pitches you want to be seeing.

And yet look how many walks Soto had. AND, I would argue that that rationale might apply to a weak hitter, not a superstar like Soto. Giving him better pitches to hit because you are afraid to walk him seems unlikely to be beneficfial.

[packs]

He is universally known for having a great eye for the ball and he has huge power on top of that. You're suggesting that pitchers were still scared of him. I'd agree.

I think you're also misinterpreting what I mean by getting better at bats. I'm talking about a pitcher feeling pressure to throw strikes because he doesn't want to put Soto on base with Judge coming up. Strikes are the best pitches to hit. If a pitcher feels pressured to throw them, that can only benefit the hitter.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I dunno, if I'm pitching, I'm not worried so much about not walking Soto as I am about making sure he doesn't hit me, in which case I am not going to pitch him any differently just because Judge is on deck.

[D. Bergin]

I think it was a pretty symbiotic hitting relationship that Judge and Soto had. Judge helped Soto and Soto helped Judge.

Neither was exactly a parasite.

Two guys with .400+ OBP hitting next to each other, are only going to help each other.

As far as Goldschmidt and Grisham. Goldschmidt knowing how to hit a baseball isn't news, and Grisham moved up in the lineup AFTER he started to produce at the bottom of the lineup, and has rarely been in the vicinity of Judge's at bats.

[bk400]

https://www.si.com/mlb/juan-soto-did...raight-pitches

Soto last night. Generational attitude.

[bk400]

I also think that this "generational" label is being batted around too casually. Soto has had a great career so far, but generational?

In my mind, this generation's only generational players are as follows:

Pujols
Trout
Judge
Ohtani
Kershaw
Verlander
Ichiro

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by bk400

I also think that this "generational" label is being batted around too casually. Soto has had a great career so far, but generational?

In my mind, this generation's only generational players are as follows:

Pujols
Trout
Judge
Ohtani
Kershaw
Verlander
Ichiro

I wouldn't put Ichiro on that list, myself. I think the idea on Soto is that he is a generational talent, not that he has achieved enough yet.

[John1941]

Originally Posted by bk400

I also think that this "generational" label is being batted around too casually. Soto has had a great career so far, but generational?

If getting on base is a talent, Soto is a generational talent. No one else in this generation (and very few in history) can beat him in taking walks and getting on base (with the possible exception of Judge, but Judge is a very different kind of hitter.)