Mets’ Juan Soto collects 1,000th career hit and joins exclusive club

In a stat first posted by USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale, Soto’s milestone put him in an elite group of MLB royalty. Soto is now just one of three players to have 1,000 career hits, 200 home runs, and 700 walks before the age of 27. The other two players? Mel Ott and Mickey Mantle, both New York baseball legends.

Earlier this month, Soto suited up in his 1,000th MLB game against the Colorado Rockies. That milestone clinched Soto’s membership in another exclusive club: 200 home runs and 800 walks in their first 1,000 MLB games. The other two members of that club are Frank Thomas and Ted Williams. 

Soto’s first 73 games with the Mets have been a bit of a roller coaster for fans. While he’s struggled at times, Soto has come around lately, boosting his batting average from .230 to .248. But it’s the “Soto-effect” that is benefiting the team the most, even if his statistics are not quite what his career averages are.

The Mets sit atop the NL East division with a one-game lead on the Philadelphia Phillies, and are tied with the Chicago Cubs for the second-best record in the National League, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso are both off to hot starts, with Alonso leading the majors in RBI. It’s similar to the effect Soto had on Aaron Judge during his one season in the Bronx.

With the 1,000th hit now in his pocket, Soto can look forward to some other career milestones. He’s just 35 home runs away from 250 in his career, and 170 walks from 1,000. Both of these can realistically be reached by the end of next season as long as Soto stays healthy.