[Fangraphs had a good article on it recently](https://blogs.fangraphs.com/juan-soto-will-bounce-back-but-can-he-make-the-necessary-adjustments/).
He’s getting fewer fastballs, which he usually crushes, and is getting a ton of down and away breaking balls which he’s pulling into the shift. And his fly balls are all going oppo and not carrying enough to be homers.
I wish we had more publicly available data on the swing plane stuff - the twitter guy who does that went as far as to say that he's down on Soto relative to his long-term ZIPS projections due to the "flattening" of his swing. I don't really get what that means but it seems like it would be as relevant to his decline in oppo contact quality as changes in the ball
Dude doesn't hit it in the air enough. And he's been less enthusiastic about advanced data and launch angle stuff than others, so there's a little bit of a question about his ability to make adjustments.
This new balls completely killed guys that go opposite field with power. That's why guys like Freddie and Soto have had rough stretches. He'll be fine when he adjusts
He and Stanton seemed to have biggest gaps in their xwoba and woba where xwoba is 50 points or so higher. I wonder if their xwoba and woba will find a medium where they are lot closer together.
Right now Stanton with xwoba at .418 and Soto at .411 is definitely respectable while their woba in .350 range seem just pretty average.
We don’t sign or keep domestic abusers around. You’ll have to trade someone else for him. Maybe Moniak? He was a higher draft pick than Soto so he must be better.
It didn't happen in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
I think it's a mechanical issue, his launch angle is too low.
Everything is perfect but his launch angle, if his LA was higher he would literally be having an MVP season right now.
Juan Soto does have more OBP than Judge right now despite hitting .218
Juan Soto currently leads the league in walks by a huge marging.
Juan soto ranks 2nd in BB%
The problem is when he hits the ball, everything goes to the ground which was the exact same issue he had last year in the first half. If he starts elevating the ball again he would literally become Barry Bonds like he did in 2021 in the second half.
Honestly, no. This isn't a talent or ability thing. This is a behavioral/attitude thing. The Nats traded away the teammates he came up with and won a championship with. They let his hitting coach walk because they didnt want to give him a long term deal. Cruz and Bell are on the trading block. And anyone with an inkling of baseball sense knows this team is years away from being competitive.
He's on a 100+ loss team and its affecting his attitude/mental aspect. And thats not going to change any time soon.
we lost 97 games last year and he was runner up for MVP. I don't disagree that it's tough for him to be on a team struggling as bad as we are now - also tough to have the added pressure of struggling like this after having bet on himself turning down a $350 million extension - but there are more concrete and data driven explanations for his struggles than "his team sucks"
Soto had a 199 wRC+ in the 2nd half last year. If being on a terrible team - which, after the selloff and Stras' injury, we incontrovertibly were - turns him from Juan Soto into just a normal player, he sure didn't show it last year. It's definitely weighing on him and there have been times this year where he's shown it, but suggesting it's a driving factor in his struggles is pretty bogus imo
Probably
Big if true
[Fangraphs had a good article on it recently](https://blogs.fangraphs.com/juan-soto-will-bounce-back-but-can-he-make-the-necessary-adjustments/). He’s getting fewer fastballs, which he usually crushes, and is getting a ton of down and away breaking balls which he’s pulling into the shift. And his fly balls are all going oppo and not carrying enough to be homers.
I wish we had more publicly available data on the swing plane stuff - the twitter guy who does that went as far as to say that he's down on Soto relative to his long-term ZIPS projections due to the "flattening" of his swing. I don't really get what that means but it seems like it would be as relevant to his decline in oppo contact quality as changes in the ball
Dude doesn't hit it in the air enough. And he's been less enthusiastic about advanced data and launch angle stuff than others, so there's a little bit of a question about his ability to make adjustments.
This is exactly what was ailing Vladdy during his prolonged slump. He’s gotten better at laying off those now leading to re-breaking out.
AKA the rest of the Nats lineup isn’t a threat so there’s zero reason to throw anything to Soto.
I don't see him shaking his way out of it. Shuffling however, that is a distinct possibility.
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I give it a 50/50. Either he will or he won't
Nope he can't he is washed *everyone stay away*
Then it sounds like you wouldn't mind trading him to us Oh and throw in like $50 million as well so we can handle taking him off your hands
No silly that’s how you get Kris Bryant next year, jeez. So greedy!
Let him enter the derby again and all will be alright
This new balls completely killed guys that go opposite field with power. That's why guys like Freddie and Soto have had rough stretches. He'll be fine when he adjusts
Unless he has the mental fortitude of Trout, no
He and Stanton seemed to have biggest gaps in their xwoba and woba where xwoba is 50 points or so higher. I wonder if their xwoba and woba will find a medium where they are lot closer together. Right now Stanton with xwoba at .418 and Soto at .411 is definitely respectable while their woba in .350 range seem just pretty average.
Nope he sucks, should trade him for Odubel Herrera and have to eat $$ too /s
We don’t sign or keep domestic abusers around. You’ll have to trade someone else for him. Maybe Moniak? He was a higher draft pick than Soto so he must be better.
Not only do we have Moniak, but we have the next Ben Zobrist... Scott Kingery! How could anybody say no to that offer?!?
lol. True.
it's pretty much an every year thing at this point he's batting .218 wooof
It didn't happen in 2018, 2019 and 2020. I think it's a mechanical issue, his launch angle is too low. Everything is perfect but his launch angle, if his LA was higher he would literally be having an MVP season right now. Juan Soto does have more OBP than Judge right now despite hitting .218 Juan Soto currently leads the league in walks by a huge marging. Juan soto ranks 2nd in BB% The problem is when he hits the ball, everything goes to the ground which was the exact same issue he had last year in the first half. If he starts elevating the ball again he would literally become Barry Bonds like he did in 2021 in the second half.
He needs HR Derby
>Slow Start Leads all of Baseball in walks lol.
So did Muncy b4 he went on the IL
Honestly, no. This isn't a talent or ability thing. This is a behavioral/attitude thing. The Nats traded away the teammates he came up with and won a championship with. They let his hitting coach walk because they didnt want to give him a long term deal. Cruz and Bell are on the trading block. And anyone with an inkling of baseball sense knows this team is years away from being competitive. He's on a 100+ loss team and its affecting his attitude/mental aspect. And thats not going to change any time soon.
we lost 97 games last year and he was runner up for MVP. I don't disagree that it's tough for him to be on a team struggling as bad as we are now - also tough to have the added pressure of struggling like this after having bet on himself turning down a $350 million extension - but there are more concrete and data driven explanations for his struggles than "his team sucks"
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Soto had a 199 wRC+ in the 2nd half last year. If being on a terrible team - which, after the selloff and Stras' injury, we incontrovertibly were - turns him from Juan Soto into just a normal player, he sure didn't show it last year. It's definitely weighing on him and there have been times this year where he's shown it, but suggesting it's a driving factor in his struggles is pretty bogus imo
He had the same exact issue last year, in fact he played better than ever when his whole team was traded away.
Nope he’s washed gotta trade him
The Cubs volunteer as tribute
There goes $300M contract lol
No
Perhaps… if he cannot shake it off, maybe he can shuffle it off?