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The New York Mets signed Juan Soto to a historic 15-year, $75 million deal in the offseason. He has had a slow start to his Mets' tenure and has not broken out his signature "Soto Shuffle."
In 29 games, Soto has a .257 batting average and a .787 OPS. He is still in the top 10 in walks, a stat he has led Major League Baseball in three separate seasons. However, he is clearly not completely comfortable at the plate right now. Soto discussed with The Athletic whether or not his signature shuffle will be returning any time soon.
"It’s going to come out one day," Soto told The Athletic's Will Sammon. "It just depends — I just gotta feel it."
Soto had a .989 OPS and 41 home runs last season. He is in a slight slump to start the season, but his career numbers show little reason to be alarmed. He will surely break out of his slump soon. However, when he starts to "shuffle," it could be an indicator of how he is feeling at the plate.
"Soto has said in the past that the mannerisms help synchronize his timing and fuel his confidence," wrote Sammon. "He started performing the routine in the minor leagues. It’s never been something he does every plate appearance. But he’s done it enough to become synonymous with it. It’s as much a part of his identity as No. 22 — there’s even a logo on Soto’s luggage depicting him shuffling."
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Despite his early struggles, the Mets are still playing great. The team is 20-9 and has the best record in the league. Whenever Soto starts playing up to his standard, the Mets could become a real force to be reckoned with.
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