Aaron Judge Responds to Juan Soto's Comments About Being 'Pitched Differently' on Mets

Aaron Judge still believes in Juan Soto's ability to put up big numbers this season even if the New York Mets star is missing his former teammate hitting behind him in the lineup.

Soto discussed the difference between being on the Mets this year compared to the New York Yankees last year and told Mike Puma of the New York Post, "I had the best hitter in baseball batting behind me. I was getting attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks and things like that. I was pitched differently last year."

Judge was asked about those comments Tuesday and had nothing but good things to say about Soto.

"He's got probably one of the best hitters in the game right now with what (Pete) Alonso is doing," Judge said, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. "It's been fun to watch. He's hitting close to .400, driving the ball all over the field and driving guys in. 

"They're gonna be just fine. I've watched (Soto) in the league for so many years and getting a chance to see him up close—he can look at what I did last April for an example. He just needs to keep being himself. He's going to be just fine."

Judge got off to a slow start last season with just six home runs through April but still finished the year with 58 long balls on his way to the American League MVP.

Soto is slashing .250/.400/.429 with two home runs and six RBI through 16 games this season. The numbers are solid but unspectacular, which stands in stark contrast to his usual standing as someone with five Silver Sluggers, a batting title and four All-Star Game nods on his resume.

There is something to be said about the protection Judge offered, and Kirschner cited Statcast to note Soto was correct in his assessment.

He has seen a career-low 43.2 percent of pitches in the strike zone compared to 46.4 in 2024. What's more, he is last in the league in percent of pitches in the heart of the zone when batting with a runner on base:

Soto has done nothing but put up excellent numbers throughout his career and will surely adjust to his new surroundings on the Mets as the season progresses. It is also a testament to just how high his standards are that there is discussion about something of a slump to start the year even though he is responsible for 0.8 wins above replacement through just 16 games, per Baseball Reference.

Most importantly, his Mets are 11-5 and in first place in the National League East.

As long as the winning continues, New York will likely be fine with Soto needing some time to adjust and start putting up his typical numbers.