Quote of the Day (Louisa Thomas, on Juan Soto at Bat)

“At batting practice, neither his DayGlo-orange long-sleeved undershirt nor his construction-cone-colored hat could distract from the sight of his massive quads. In nearly all his physical particulars—chest, jaw, hindquarters—he resembles a cartoon bull. Much attention is paid to his keen eye and intelligence at the plate, but the violent energy he sends back into the ball, from his cocked foot through the torque of his body, is at least as impressive. In the cage, he took swings with a steady rhythm, his backswing moving smoothly into his ready stance, the cocking of his foot like the click of the metronome. When he straightens out his leg into his stride, the rotation of his body has already begun. I watched as ball after ball exploded off his bat, a lone firecracker trailing into the hazy blue sky.”—American biographer and sports journalist Louisa Thomas, “The Sporting Scene: Goliath vs. Goliath,” The New Yorker, May 12 and 19, 2025

Two months ago, I sat up with a start when I saw another New Yorker contributor take up the mantle from Roger Angell as the venerable magazine’s maven on the Great National Pastime. My curiosity fired, I began reading the article by Louisa Thomas—and kept reading, transfixed.

What she had to say about Juan Soto particularly fascinated me. If you’re a New York baseball fan, he’s either a Yankee turncoat, a Met still with much work needed to justify his mega-contract—or both. (If you’re a fan of the Washington Nationals or San Diego Padres, your view is far simpler—he’s a sell-out, period.)

Chill out, people. Ms. Thomas’ description of him at the plate signifies why so many major league clubs eyed and/or pursued him so avidly in the offseason: he’s a batter not only with excellent hit-to-all-fields approach, but with world-class mechanics honed by constant repetition.

Talk radio fans in the New York area were obsessed with his slow start to the season (.231 batting average, .357 OBP, .413 OPS, 9 HRs, 27 RBIs, 36 runs through end of May). All that mania was misplaced: with no nagging injuries, Soto remained what he was before, just going through what happens even to the best hitters: a slump.

His speed might be average and his defense mediocre, but the outfielder is still as pure a hitter as the game has: with a decent batting average and more-than-solid power. His totals through Tuesday are far more in line with what Mets owner Steve Cohen was expecting this winter: .269 batting average, .908 OPS, 21 HRs, 52 RBIs, and 66 runs.

Suddenly the talk has turned: Instead of why Soto’s been such a bust, it’s now why he was snubbed for the All-Star Game.

As for Ms. Thomas: I look forward to seeing if her account of the World Series this fall will be as classic as Angell’s invariably were (notably, “Agincourt and After,” on the epic seven-game Cincinnati Reds-Boston Red Sox clash).