While just about everybody feels like they're within their right to criticize New York Mets slugger Juan Soto for how his Mets tenure has started, nearly nobody can empathize with the situation that he's in.
One person who understands one aspect of Soto's spotlight is former New York pitcher Dwight "Doc" Gooden. The two-time World Series champion and 1985 NL Cy Young Award winner had a contentious relationship with New York's bustling media scene during his career, which is why he can understand the pressure to perform that Soto is surely feeling right now, in the wake of signing the biggest contract in sports history.
And when speaking with TMZ on May 24, Gooden got honest about how perspective on Soto's struggles to this point.
"He set the bar so high his first six years, when expectation is going to be there, and then you throw in the contract he just signed, everybody's expecting everything," Gooden said. "Unfortunately, every little thing that happens now, they point at him with a lot of stuff."
When speaking about Soto's 15-year, $765 million contract, Gooden added, "He earned that, but now he's in a situation where he should be able to relax, you would think, but the added pressure does play a part. It just takes time sometimes, because we forget he's 26 years old, and you know, he's never been through this before.
"He just needs somebody in his ear to let him know it's gonna be okay," he added.
There's no doubt that Juan Soto is one of the most talented players in the entire sport. This is why it seems like a matter of when, not if, Soto will begin performing up to his usual standards.
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