Mets' Juan Soto Says He's 'Seeing the Ball Really Well' After HR in Win vs. Yankees

It's safe to say the initial panic about Juan Soto's tenure with the New York Mets was overblown, as his hot streak continued with a two-run homer in Friday's 6-5 win over the New York Yankees.

Speaking to reporters after the victory, Soto could only say he's "seeing the ball really well" to explain his torrid stretch that started in June and has so far carried over into July.

"I just feel good right now," Soto said. "I'm seeing the ball really well. I feel like I'm trying to take my chances when I swing the bat. I'm trying to do damage every time and try to help the team win some games."

Soto finished a triple shy of the cycle in the win, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored against his former club.

Expectations were sky high for Soto in Queens after signing a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets in the offseason. Even though he was never bad, the fact he got off to a slow start and playing in New York meant the panic level was at an all-time high when his OPS was at .770 on May 31.

Since June 1, Soto has been everything Mets fans hoped for when he signed the richest contract in North American pro sports history. The 26-year-old has a .337/.481/.721 slash line and 12 homers in his last 31 games.

Soto is the sixth-best player in MLB this season by FanGraphs' offensive value rating. Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker are the only NL players ahead of him on the list.

Now that Soto is playing at an MVP-caliber level, the bigger concern for the Mets is pitching. They are only 15-16 in the 31 games that Soto has been tearing the cover off the ball because their pitching staff has the fourth-worst ERA in MLB since June 1.

The Mets have won three straight games after a 3-13 stretch from June 13-July 2. They are only one game back in the loss column of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East.