Juan Soto and Spotlight go hand-in-hand. Talk about a specific interaction or media moment, Soto comes up short when it comes to managing the pressure of dealing with tough questions, something Aaron Judge is known for handling with a lot of poise. His short-timed statement recently also made the news for all the wrong reasons. Along with a potential learning moment for Soto when it comes to handling tough questions with tact and honesty. Well, Emmy award-winning sports commentator and radio host, Brandon Tierney, doesn’t hold back from commenting on Soto this time…
The controversy started after Soto told the New York Post that having Aaron Judge hitting behind him affected how pitchers approached him. “It’s definitely different,” Soto said. “I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me. I was getting more attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks, and things like that. It was pitched differently last year.” Judge is a two-time AL MVP and one of the most feared hitters in the game. He creates a massive protection effect for anyone hitting in front of him. So, does that mean Soto is not getting enough protection in the Mets?
“Is Juan Soto Kidding me? This is early in his Mets tenure, this is absolutely ridiculous. This is a bad play.” Tierney went no-holds-barred, reflecting how it is insulting for the Mets to get their top slugger regretting his time. While Soto was getting Judge anymore behind him, he got Pete Alonso, one of the best hitters in the game. So yes, things are surely taken out of context, and it’s unlikely that Soto is targeting his current team. His current numbers show that he is facing fewer hits compared to last year.
BT went off on Juan Soto for his comments to the New York Post about adjusting to life without Aaron Judge.
Listen to his rant: https://t.co/1exBvD5g0i pic.twitter.com/YlgyfyH0Ob
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) April 15, 2025
The strike zone pitches to Soto this year are 43.2% compared to 46.5% last year with the Yankees. This shows that Soto is seeing fewer pitches in the strike zone this year with the Mets, which could indicate that pitchers are being more careful with him, or simply that, without the protection of a hitter like Aaron Judge, they feel more comfortable challenging him with tougher pitches outside the zone.
Could these be changed with Alonso hitting behind Soto? Things should have changed but the increased intentional walk by Soto is what made him say that he got more hits with the Yankees. Well, Judge thinks otherwise.
Soto is just going well
Soto getting protected by Aaron Judge was different from Soto getting protected by Alonso now. However, Judge thinks it’s all going well for Soto this year. “He can look at what I did last April, for kind of an example of (how) he just needs to keep being himself,’’ said the Yankees’ captain of his sluggish 2024 start. “He’s going to be just fine.” Yes, Judge did indeed have a sluggish start to the 2024 season, particularly in April, which was a bit of a surprise given his usual consistency. Judge’s batting average was notably lower than usual — he was hovering around .220–.230 early in the season.
In contrast, Juan Soto is still getting on base at a fantastic clip — a .400 OBP is impressive, even if his power numbers are a bit down. However, a few better hits from Alonso might work wonders for Soto. Once Alonso starts to hit better, an intentional walk for Soto will be reduced with more attacks directed toward him. Yes, just 2 homers and 6 RBIs through 16 games is not worth $765 million. This is a huge dip compared to what people typically expect from Soto.
Well, he’ll need to be more aggressive when he gets those opportunities, especially in hitter-friendly counts where pitchers might be more vulnerable. Soto’s still got that elite ability to get on base, and while the power numbers are low right now, hopefully, that could change in a hurry. For starters, he’s too talented to stay in a slump for long.
What do you think — is it just a matter of time before Soto starts raking, or do you think there’s something more to his slow start?
The post WFAN Host Brutally Slams Juan Soto for ‘Ridiculous’ Aaron Judge and Yankees Confession Amid Mets Slump appeared first on EssentiallySports.
