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    Juan Soto’s perfect streak comes to an end with Mets’ calamity

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    By Jacob Mountz,Yardbarker

    Copyright yardbarker

    Juan Soto’s perfect streak comes to an end with Mets’ calamity

    Despite heavy investments from owner Steve Cohen, the New York Mets not only failed to make it to the World Series but couldn’t even make it to the postseason.

    Coming off a season where they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NCLS, Cohen spared no expense in bringing Juan Soto to Queens. With him came high hopes for an imminent World Series championship, an opportunity that seemed increasingly likely after coming close to reaching the fall classic last year without him.

    But for his inaugural season in a Mets jersey, there was nothing to celebrate. And though he experienced more than his share of struggles, no one could blame the Mets’ woes on Soto, who finished the year with a slash line of .263/.396/.525 and with two career-highs — 43 home runs and 38 steals. Soto led all of baseball in walks (127) and led the NL in on-base percentage as well as steals. However, despite finishing with an NL-leading number, he lost what had been a career-long streak in on-base percentage.

    Juan Soto finishes a season with an OBP below .400 for the first time

    For the first time in his career spanning eight years, Soto posted an on-base percentage lower than .400. His prior career-low in this stat was .401, which he posted in 2019 and a second time in 2022.

    Finishing a year with an OBP of .400 or above is no small feat in this era of baseball. The number of players who achieve such a mark is continually dwindling as years go by. This season, only Aaron Judge surmounted a .400 OBP, posting a lofty figure of .457 (George Springer finished with a .399 OBP). Last season, it was just Judge and Soto. What was once a common accomplishment among quality hitters in the PED-fueled Steroid Era has become a rare achievement that only a few elite players can manage against modern pitching (31 players finished with .400+ OBPs in both 1999 and 2000).

    Having posted such rare numbers for seven consecutive years is what made Soto one of the game’s special talents and was also one of the leading factors that made him the richest player in sports history. His career .417 OBP is the highest of any active player.

    With a .396 OBP on the year, Soto’s on-base skills are clearly still elite. When combined with his 40+ home run power and newfound success on the basepaths, Soto gives Mets fans plenty to be excited about next season. For now, they can only wait to find out what encore their marquee star has in store for them.

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