Laura Albanese: Juan Soto hasn't been the problem, but could him leading off be the Mets' answer?
Carson Benge of the Mets is congratulated by Juan Soto after making a catch to end the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Monday in Denver. Credit: Getty Images/Justin Edmonds
DENVER — The Mets have a problem.
They have one of the best hitters on the planet in Juan Soto, and very little production around him, so even when Soto has done Soto things, his impact has been contained. So, how do you unleash the beast and make sure he does the most damage possible?
It’s something manager Carlos Mendoza has continued to consider during this particularly trying opening stretch, and Monday, in their 4-2 win against the Rockies at Coors Field, that translated to having Soto bat leadoff for the first time in his career.
On paper, that move can only do so much to move the needle. On Monday, Soto went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. But my, oh my, how that can change if the Mets get more of the other stuff they saw on Monday. And Sunday against the Angels, too, actually.
Because Soto is going to hit. Having those ahead of him get on base, while maximizing production behind him is a literal game-changer.
For weeks, Soto has been a man on an island — seemingly the only hitter not afflicted with whatever bug has infected the Mets’ offense. But then Mark Vientos hit two homers against the Angels Sunday, and nearly hit two more Monday (he settled for a sixth-inning, two-run single). And then there’s Carson Benge, who made spectacular diving catches on back-to-back days, and hit a leadoff homer that four-run sixth.
The Mets were no hit in all but that one inning Monday, but still, the bottom three of Benge, Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens contributed three runs and two RBIs. And if they can spark to life — and if Vientos can continue his surge — Soto suddenly will have something to work with, while also getting as many at bats as possible.
“We saw it today,” Mendoza said. “Every time we can turn the lineup over and get Bo [Bichette], get Soto, those guys and give them opportunities, we’re going to be in a good place. I’ve been saying this for a long time…whoever’s hitting down there, they’ve got to be able to get on base, provide quality at bats for the big boys to come up.”
For his part, Benge, who was batting just .136 on April 22, has gone 10-for-32 (.313) in the 11 games since then. It isn’t just the production. He fully looks and sounds more comfortable, too.
“You go out there and your mind is blank,” he said. “You play the game as hard as you can, not worrying about anything. It’s a just good feeling…I think there were definitely [a few] growing pains in there, and I’m sure there are still many to come but just being able to step in there with my same level of confidence I’ve always had, it’s definitely a big thing.”
Vientos, meanwhile, is tattooing the ball. After his two-homer day Sunday, he hit a ball in the second that would have been a home run in 17 parks; three innings later, he hit one that would have been a homer in all but one park (this one here at Coors). By the fifth, he cut his losses and made hard contact on that two-run single.
"He's locked in," Mendoza said of Vientos. "He's not trying to do too much, he's staying short to the baseball, going the other way, full quality at bats. I said it [Sunday], when he's right, he can carry a team."
And that brings us back to Soto. The one knock on moving Soto to the leadoff spot is that he presumably will have fewer opportunities with men on base. But as Mendoza noted, “I tried with Juan in the two, three, trying to create traffic in front of him and we’re having a hard time doing that, so we decided to go the other way — get him as many at bats as possible.”
If the bottom of the order can stir to life, though, the lack of traffic becomes moot. Soto can drive them in, while also maintaining rallies.
There are other benefits, too.
Teams were often turning to left-handed relievers once they were done dealing with Bichette, who was slotted into the leadoff spot after Francisco Lindor’s injury; that isn’t too much of a factor for Soto, who can do damage regardless of a pitcher’s handedness, but it did often mean that Mendoza would have to pinch hit for lefthander MJ Melendez earlier than he otherwise would prefer. Batting Bichette between the two puts a hamper in opposing game plans.
So, “we try to get him on base and let the other guys try to get him in,” Mendoza said. “I’m just going to let it play out and see how it goes.”
Very little else has worked so far, and this seems like a good as strategy as any — particularly if the bats around him finally (mercifully) wake up.
Minter on the mend
AJ Minter (torn lat recovery) will pitch with Triple-A Syracuse Wednesday and will hopefully go on back-to-back days, Mendoza said. He could rejoin the team at the end of this week or early next week. Minter, a reliable high-leverage arm before his injury, has pitched to a 3.52 ERA in eight rehab appearances and is experiencing a downtick in velocity. Though he generally throws in the mid-90s, his fastball maxed out at 91.9 mph in his outing Sunday.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
