New York Mets star Juan Soto homered in his first spring training game, but that hasn't stopped detractors and rivals from comparing him – perhaps unfairly – to the competition. When asked how Soto and the like compare to Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., there is no one better to ask than former Padres and current Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar, who has played with both.
Profar's answer when posed with this question was unusual, as he left Soto completely off his list.
“Acuña and Tatis are a different level,” Profar said. “I think maybe Ohtani is up there with them. They are in a league of their own. If they’re healthy, the sky is the limit for them.”
Uh...what about Soto? The first-year Met signed a $765 million deal in the offseason to be the face of the franchise. He is fresh off inking the biggest contract in MLB history, surpassing the aforementioned Ohtani. And while Tatis Jr. is a star in his own right, few besides Profar would argue he's on Soto's level.
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Juan Soto has all the bulletin-board material he needs for first Mets season
Besides providing Soto and the Mets with ample bulletin-board material heading into a World Series or bust season for them, Profar's comment is also a bit shortsighted. Acuña Jr. is great when healthy, but he's also suffered two major lower-body injuries, which could impact his ability in the outfield and to create havoc on the basepaths, something we've grown accustomed to from the Braves star. As it pertains to Acuña Jr.'s play post-injury, it's best for baseball fans to take a wait-and-see approach.
Soto himself has yet to give in to the noise, though he'll surely be asked about it at some point. For now, the Mets star is focused on all the right things.
“Everybody knows who you are,” Soto said Saturday afternoon of the Mets 6-2 victory. “But they’ve got to see it with their eyes.”
For lack of a better term, that comment was as bada** as they come. Every Soto at-bat, even in the spring, is must-see television, and the Mets attendance in Port St. Lucie suggests that thus far.
Soto and Acuña Jr. are two very different, marquee players who grow the game each and every time they set foot on the field. It's best we leave this budding rivalry at that for now.