Juan Soto is utilizing the New York Mets' pitching lab

The Mets "put him in the pitching lab for a day and gave him a full evaluation the same way they would any pitcher," Gelbs reported from Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night. "They figured out that his throwing motion was pretty messed up, and [pitching coach] Jeremy Hefner then gave him a routine, a throwing program essentially, to work on every single day."

The lab opened in June of 2023 as a part of the Mets spring training facilities in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The goal was to integrate data and technology into the training process by providing more accurate and immediate feedback to pitchers on different aspects of their delivery. There remains an air of mystique around the pitching lab, but it is regularly name-dropped as a crucial factor in building and maximizing the talent of Mets pitchers.

But Soto, who is known for his high baseball IQ, recognized the lab could help him in the outfield too. While Soto recognized an improvement in the efficiency of his mechanics after a couple months of his program, he recently told Hefner and outfield coach Antoan Richardson that it still felt like he was "cutting the ball" when he was throwing it.

So the pitching coaches gave Soto a special baseball typically used to help pitchers "visualize the track of the ball," which the right fielder now uses when warming up in between innings. The ball is marked with black so that when he throws, he should see the white in between to confirm that he's "getting behind the ball properly."

Soto's use of the pitching lab speaks to his work ethic and humility, recognizing that there are still areas where he can improve after signing the largest contract in professional sports history. It also speaks to the intrigue and quality of the facility and coaching, which has helped a player like Griffin Canning cut his ERA from 5.19 in 2024 with the Angels to 2.90 in 2025 with the Mets.

While Soto was struggling at the plate early on, he was still working to improve other parts of his game. But now the extra-base hits are starting to come, and Soto looks like the elite slugger that New York paid him to be.