Juan Soto Talks Mets Spring Training Debut, HR in 1st At-Bat: 'It Feels Pretty Good'

Juan Soto discussed his impressive spring training debut with the New York Mets on Saturday.

“It feels pretty good,” Soto said, per Jenna West of The Athletic. “It means everything that we’ve been doing is paying off.”

The star outfielder finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs, which included a solo home run in his first at-bat of the game. Soto launched a ball to deep left-center field, traveling 426 feet as it cleared the fences.

The Mets emerged with a 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros.

Expectations are high for the 26-year-old after he signed a hefty 15-year, $765 million contract with New York as a free agent on Dec. 8. It represented the richest deal in MLB history.

Soto has established himself as one of the imposing players at the plate in the majors, earning All-Star nods in each of the past four seasons to go along with his career .285/.421/.532 slash line.

He's also shown that he can stay effective beyond the regular season, owning a .927 OPS in 43 postseason games and winning a World Series title with the Washington Nationals in 2019.

Soto is coming off a strong 2024 campaign with the New York Yankees, racking up 41 homers and 31 doubles to go along with 109 RBIs. His 129 walks were also the second-most among all MLB players, only trailing former Yankees teammate Aaron Judge.

With the Mets looking to build upon their National League Championship Series appearance in 2024, they couldn't have asked for a much better start from Soto in his first spring training game.