When the Philadelphia Phillies first got the news that Juan Soto was returning to the NL East as a member of the New York Mets, their nightmare had suddenly become a reality. The absolute last thing that the Phillies needed is for one of the best players in the game to torment them for the next decade in their pursuit of the World Series.
However, with a more thorough examination by taking a closer look at the numbers, maybe it isn’t so bad after all. In fact, perhaps the Phillies don't need to be as worried as we thought, according to Paul Casella of MLB.com. Why is that?
Maybe Phillies shouldn’t be worried about Juan Soto's return to NL East after all
First of all, Soto has a lifetime .292 average and .981 OPS, along with 60 runs scored, 14 doubles, 19 home runs, 60 RBI, 66 walks and 63 strikeouts in just 77 career games against the Phillies. That sounds like absolute domination over the team in any regard.
However, a lot of that damage took place in years past, and he has had less success against the current Phillies pitching staff. Among Philadelphia’s current starting five, Ranger Suárez has completely owned Soto, holding him hitless in 12 at-bats with four strikeouts. Next would be Cristopher Sánchez, limiting the 26-year-old phenom to just a .571 OPS and striking him out four times in just seven at-bats.
Against Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, Soto has done some more damage, but at least they have combined to hold him to just six home runs over 89 at-bats while keeping his average below .265. Taijuan Walker has given up the highest average to Soto (.308) with an .862 OPS.
As for bullpen members of the Phillies with at least five minimum Soto plate appearances, both José Alvarado and Matt Strahm have owned him, keeping his average below .233 and OPS below .675.
As for Soto and his mastery at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies, he has compiled a stellar .327 with a whopping 1.086 OPS along with 13 home runs, the most he has hit in any opponent's ballpark. However, six of those came in just one season in 2018, so he hasn’t had as much luck with the long ball in the six years since.
With the mastery of the Phillies' current pitching core over Soto, what is there to worry about? But the key part is Philadelphia better keep that core intact to maintain that dominance over the star outfielder. Despite Soto suddenly becoming a huge obstacle in the Phillies’ pursuit of the World Series in the coming years, it might just not be as tough to overcome based on what Casella observed by digging into the numbers.