I'm declaring it: Much of baseball analysis and reporting these days is a crock.
I am also saying, don't worry about Juan Soto. He will come around sooner or later. Too much talent.
First, the crock pot. Uh, part.
Why Juan Soto has been so un-Soto this season: Three red flags behind Mets' $765 million man's troubles
Succinctly, the three red flags are:
1. His bat speed is down. A mere 2 mph (3.2 km/h for you, Westy). How do they measure that and what does that difference, if accurate, signify? Anyway, the author speculates:
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Why his bat is slower is difficult to answer. Is it intentional? Lots of Mets have shown big bat speed declines this year. Is he nursing an injury? Is it age-related decline? That last one would be hard to believe at age 26, though I suppose stranger things have happened.
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But wait, he gets dumber than that:
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The decline in bat speed is real, though because Soto still has above average bat speed, he's still hitting the ball very hard. He's near the top of the league in average exit velocity (94.2 mph), 90th percentile exit velocity (109.8 mph), and hard-hit rate (55.0%). Even with reduced bat speed, Soto's hammering the ball.
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Which sort of puts the entire idea into the trash can, doesn't it?
2. His batted ball direction is off. Say that again? What does that mean? Something to do with launch angle. But, hits can result from a wide array of angles, up and down. Basically, hitting the ball hard, where the fielders are not, and with some luck. How's that for analysis?
3. He's too passive. Here, I will let him explain himself:
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His in-zone swing rate hovered in the 62% range from 2020-24, which is ever so slightly below the 64% league average. This year it's down to 58%, and in May, it's 54%. Compared to 2020-24, Soto's May in-zone swing rate equals one fewer swing at a pitch in the zone every game, give or take. Going from 62% to 54% may not seem like much, but it really is a big difference on a day-to-day level.
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Got that? Not buying it? Neither am I. He is in a mild slump. Anybody else, his numbers would be quite acceptable: .246/.376/.439 with eight home runs. Sure, you expect more from Soto but be satisfied that, when he is in a slump, he still produces more than most guys.
Following is the only intelligent thing this author said:
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Is Soto a bad hitter now? No, of course not. Even this "what's wrong with him?" version of Soto is still a very good hitter. The Mets did not give him $765 million to be a very good hitter though. They gave him that record contract to be one of the best hitters in the game, if not the best, and he is falling short of those expectations. Soto is 48 games into a 15-year contract. There is plenty of time to rewrite the narrative. Lindor did exactly that after his first year with the Mets. Carlos Beltrán too.
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Right. But you needed to write this crap now in order to earn your salary.
I have become crotchety over all the bullstuff that is written about baseball these days, with phony analysis and made-up statistics. CBS Sports is free — so far — which is good because otherwise I am thinking of rolling up the carpet when it comes to following sports. I will not pay to support charlatans like this fellow (to say nothing of obnoxious loudmouths like Smith and McAfee). And I already watch games with the sound turned down.
Don't worry about Soto. It's a long season and the hot days of summer are coming.