Latest news with #Soto
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Big night for Francisco Lindor, solid steps for Juan Soto in Mets' win
NEW YORK — And finally, after weeks of struggling with an average on the interstate, New York's superstar came through with a big game. Is it Juan Soto or Francisco Lindor we're talking about? For the Mets, it was both Friday night. In a 4-2 win over the Rockies, Lindor homered from both sides of the plate, and Soto delivered just his second multihit game in three weeks. It was a night of exhaling for the Mets' linchpins. Multi-homer game for @Lindor12BC 👏 — New York Mets (@Mets) May 31, 2025 Start with Soto, who has been the alpha and omega of every conversation about the Mets for weeks. A lukewarm start through the first six weeks had turned frigid over the last three: 7-for-59 with one extra-base hit in his last 16 games entering Friday. So David Stearns' pregame press conference was largely about Soto — what's looked different, when that could change, and what support from the organization looks like in the meantime. Advertisement 'I think he's probably trying to do a little bit too much right now,' Stearns said. 'And that is natural for a player who cares.' In the third, Soto came through with a two-out double to right-center, scoring Lindor from first. It was his second extra-base hit over the last three weeks. He also led off the sixth with a single. 'Anytime you come through for the team, it's always a good feeling,' Soto said. 'I know I've been struggling and I haven't been there for the team. I will be.' 'He's had good at-bats,' Lindor said. 'Today the ball fell for him.' While Soto's slump has sucked up all the oxygen around the Mets, Lindor was quietly going through it on the offensive end. He had been 8-for-55 in his last 14 games entering Friday night. A leadoff homer from the right side opened the scoring, and a solo shot from the left side in the eighth closed it. In between, he singled up the middle. Lindor talked about getting his body in the right alignment through some physical therapy. 'I'm healthy,' he said. '(I'm) making sure my body's moving correctly.' Manager Carlos Mendoza was especially happy to see Lindor drive the ball the opposite way from the left side for the eighth-inning homer. 'When you see him going to left-center from the left side, that's when he's clicking,' Mendoza said. '(He's) in position to make some really good swing decisions and hit the ball with authority.' Lindor's numbers from the right side have been uncharacteristically poor to start the year. Even after the homer Friday, he said he's 'still not there' from that side. The same could be said for the Mets offense through 57 games this season. Lindor and Pete Alonso carried the club through April. It's been a tougher slog in May, with Brett Baty just about the only Met exceeding expectations this month. Soto has been in the spotlight, but he entered Friday with a better OPS in May than Lindor, Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos — the other guys hitting first through fifth Friday. The Mets have shown they don't need all those bats to get hot to win. But the task gets a heck of a lot easier if a couple of them warm up. 'It's a matter of time,' Soto said of himself. The Mets hope that goes for the entire lineup. (Photo of Francisco Lindor: Al Bello / Getty Images)
Fox Sports
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Juan Soto 'trying to do a little bit too much' at the plate, Mets president says
NEW YORK — Typically, an end-of-May press conference with David Stearns would revolve around the team's performance up to this point. The Mets president of baseball operations has said that he views Memorial Day as a mark on the baseball calendar that paints a sample size of how the team is performing. But the Mets, who spent 35 days in first place and have the sixth-best record in Major League Baseball, are doing alright. It's their $765 million slugger that's sparking interest and concern. Juan Soto just recorded the worst 50-game start to a season in his career. He entered Friday night hitless in his last 16 at-bats. He has a .224 batting average and .745 OPS, both of which are well below his career averages of .281 and .941, respectively. As May comes to a close, Soto has just eight home runs and has grounded into 10 double plays. For perspective, Soto had 15 home runs at this point last year, and he grounded into 10 double plays in his entire season with the Yankees. "This hasn't been a month where he's performed up to the Juan Soto standard that everyone's become accustomed to, and that's a very, very high standard," Stearns said in a press conference on Friday at Citi Field. "But players go through ups and downs, even the best of players go through ups and downs, and it's our job to continue to help him get through that." Most astonishingly, Soto this year is batting .130 with runners in scoring position. Putting up goose eggs in high-leverage situations is unlike him. In his career, he boasts a .286 batting average with runners in scoring position. "Do I think he's trying to do a little bit too much right now? Yeah. I think he's probably trying to do a little bit too much right now," Stearns said. "And that is natural for a player who cares about improving." How difficult is it to break out of that cycle of pressing at the plate? "I don't know," Stearns said. "I mean, I've clearly never sat in that seat. None of us has, and it's a very unique position that he's in. … Maybe it'll take a bloop, or a couple of bloops. Or maybe it takes connecting on one or two, to exhale a little bit. But I would imagine it is difficult when the results don't come." Soto is coming off a career year in the Bronx, where he hit 41 home runs, scored a league-high 128 runs, and recorded a .288 batting average to go with a .989 OPS. After helping the Yankees get to the World Series, he went through a noisy free agency that commanded the full attention of the league, before winding up in a bidding war between the Bronx and Queens. In December, his free agency finally culminated in a seismic decision to sign with the Mets. Soto's 15-year, $765 million deal is the largest contract in professional sports history. Sure, baseball pundits expected Soto, a generational hitter, to sign a record-breaking deal. But the contract he ended up commanding was a shock to every corner of the industry. Fairly or not, for the rest of his Mets career, Soto's performance will be judged in the context of that contract. The bright lights won't dim even when the Mets (34-22) are playing well right now, one-third of the way through the regular season. Stearns maintained that Soto, while frustrated with his results, is too talented to allow these struggles to persist. He's confident the slugger will turn his season around soon. "He's still helping us win games, and I'm aware that the OPS isn't where he would want it," Stearns said. "It's not where we would want it. It's not where our fans would want it. I get that. But I can't say it's not for lack of work behind the scenes. He's working, he's trying. He certainly wants results at a higher level than what we've seen so far. I'm pretty confident we're going to get those. "But, I also understand it is natural when a player signs a big contract — and this was a really big contract — because the results aren't immediate, there are going to be questions, and there are going to be reactions. And I certainly get that. And I think Juan does too." Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar . recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
$765M man Juan Soto may be overthinking at the plate, Mets exec hints at mental strain
As Juan Soto's woes deepen, Mets insider thinks he's pressing to live up to sky-high expectations (Getty Images) Juan Soto's first season in Queens hasn't unfolded the way the New York Mets or their fans had hoped. Touted as a generational talent and signed to a staggering $765 million deal—the richest contract in North American sports history—Soto has yet to find his groove in the Big Apple. Currently hitless in his last 14 at-bats, his batting average has slid to .224, a steep drop of 57 points below his career mark. But despite the disappointing start, the Mets' top brass remains unwavering in their faith. Mets executive reveals troubling sign about Juan Soto's mindset amid brutal slump David Stearns, the Mets' president of baseball operations, acknowledged that Soto's mechanics aren't necessarily the problem. 'I honestly don't have like a 'this is the issue he needs to fix to get better',' Stearns said, noting that Soto's plate discipline remains intact. 'I think he's taking pretty good at-bats. Controlling the strike zone pretty well. Hitting the ball on the ground a little bit more than he has in the past. That's something he's aware of.' The struggle appears to be more mental than mechanical. 'Do I think he's trying to do a little bit too much right now? Yeah, I think he's probably trying to do a little bit too much right now,' Stearns added. 'And that is natural for a player who cares about improving.' Soto's agent, Scott Boras, mirrored this sentiment, pointing out to Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci that Soto may be wrestling with the pressures of being baseball's highest-paid player. Boras suggested that adjusting to 'the crown' isn't as seamless as one might expect. Still, patience seems to be the prevailing tone in the Mets organization. Manager Carlos Mendoza has defended Soto's performance, insisting he's passing the 'eye test,' and owner Steve Cohen has also urged fans to take the long view. Despite Soto's underwhelming numbers, the Mets are holding strong in second place in the NL East with a 34–22 record. If history is any indication, a player of Soto's caliber won't stay quiet for long. For now, the Mets are betting on his talent to rise above the noise. Also Read: Mookie Betts suffers bizarre toe injury, sidelined for Dodgers' high-stakes Yankees series opener
New York Post
13 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Juan Soto breaks out of 0-for-17 Mets skid with clutch RBI double
Access the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Try it free A Rockies-Mets Friday night ticket proved to be worth showing up for — especially if one was there to see the Mets' $765 million man. In the bottom of the third inning, as the Mets led 1-0, Juan Soto finally broke his cold streak, at least in one at-bat. On a 2-2 pitch from Colorado lefty Kyle Freeland, Soto laced a ball 112.8 mph to right-center field, earning himself an RBI double after knocking in Francisco Lindor, who had singled. The hit snapped an 0-for-17 skid. Soto quietly celebrated standing on second base, clapping and pointing to the sky as the Citi Field crowd went wild for the star, who they have been patiently waiting to get into his groove since moving from The Bronx to Queens. New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) hits an RBI double on Friday night. Robert Sabo for NY Post He followed that double up with a leadoff single to center in the sixth. In the last seven games before Friday night, Soto was 2-for-27. Through his first 55 games with the Yankees more than a year ago, Soto was batting .310 with 14 home runs. CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after he hits an RBI double during the third inning when the New York Mets played against the Colorado Rockies Friday, May 30, 2025 at Citi Field in Queens, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post Fans are likely hoping Friday night's effort is a good omen for what's to come.
Japan Today
13 hours ago
- Science
- Japan Today
Invasive species cost trillions in damages: study
From river-clogging plants to disease-carrying insects, the direct economic cost of invasive species worldwide has averaged about $35 billion a year for decades, researchers say. Since 1960, damage from non-native plants and animals expanding into new territory has cost society more than $2.2 trillion, 17 times higher than previous estimates, they reported in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. The accelerating spread of invasive species -- from mosquitoes to wild boar to tough-to-eradicate plants -- blights agriculture, spreads disease and drives the growing pace of species extinction. Earlier calculations based on highly incomplete data were already known to fall far short of reality. To piece together a more accurate picture, an international team of researchers led by Ismael Soto, a scientist at the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, compiled data on 162 invasive species whose costs have been well documented in at least a handful of countries. They then modeled the economic impact for 78 other countries such as Bangladesh and Costa Rica, for which no data was previously available. "We expected an underestimation of invasion costs, but the magnitude was striking," Soto told AFP. Due mainly to high volumes of trade and travel, tens of thousands of animal and plant species have taken root, sometimes literally, far from their places of origin. Europe is by far the continent most affected by the phenomenon, followed by North America and Asia. "Plants were the most economically damaging group, both for damage and management," Soto said. "Cost hotspots include urban coastal areas, notably in Europe, eastern China, and the U.S." Animals can cause devastating damage too. Wild boar, for example, destroy crops, cornfields and vineyards, while mosquitoes -- with expanding ranges due to global warming -- impose direct costs to human health by spreading diseases such as dengue and malaria. Another example is Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant that is very common in Europe and requires costly eradication programs. "Our study is based on only 162 species," Soto noted. "Our figure is probably still an underestimate of a wider problem, and therefore the real economic costs could be even higher." Using a broader definition -- including indirect costs such as lost income -- the U.N.'s biodiversity expert group, IPBES, has calculated the total cost to society of invasive species at about $400 billion annually. © 2025 AFP
