The Juan Soto effect has already begun to take shape for the New York Mets, with his first spring training start setting a new viewership record.
The New York Mets knew they were getting a superstar of epic proportion when they signed Juan Soto over the offseason. They may not have known, however, that he would be setting records for the club as early as spring training.
It is the time of year when the majority of the viewers are die-hards or media. Most games see players taking the field who may never otherwise see their names in a Major League lineup for a regular season contest. But on the day of the Mets’ Grapefruit League opener, all of the preconceived notions surrounding spring training baseball would be pushed aside.
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Soto would not be the only star in the lineup on February 22, but he would vastly outshine the others. The “Juan Soto Effect” would take center stage, with 189,021 viewers making the team’s Grapefruit League opener the most-watched spring training game ever on SNY.
It would prove to be a massive team debut for Soto, though he only took two at-bats in the game. He would make them count, going 1-for-2 with a long two-run home run in his first-ever at-bat in a New York Mets uniform.
Soto has since played in two more spring training games, giving him three out of the Mets’ five at the time of writing. He has gone 2-for-5 overall with the home run, two RBI, a walk, and no strikeouts. It is a line that fans in Queens should get used to seeing for many years to come.
Soto and the Mets agreed to a 15-year, $765 million contract on December 9, 2024. The coming season will be the superstar’s eighth in MLB, and he has spent time with the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees.