Mets' Juan Soto preaching team-first mentality despite cold start to season

After that 4-3 victory, Soto suggested that catcher Hayden Senger deserved a majority of the praise for keeping the game tied in the eighth. 

"Great tag," Soto said of Senger's diving effort, as shared by Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News. "I know the throw was a little bit off the line, but the way he came back to the play was really impressive."

Few would deny that Soto has largely been a disappointment at the plate this spring after he signed a 15-year, $765M contract that could exceed $800M to join the Mets this past offseason. Over the first 25 games of his Mets tenure, he slashed .233/.364/.389 with three home runs and 12 RBI. He entered Thursday with an unimpressive .753 OPS for the campaign. 

That said, he's not letting his offensive struggles impact other aspects of his play. 

"It’s always great to have some role and play a part in the game," Soto explained, per John Flanigan of SNY. "I’m trying my best to come through with the bat, but whenever that doesn’t come through, I have to do something else to help. We play defense, we run the bases right -- today I had the chance to help the team with my defense."

Soto isn't yet playing up to the value of his massive deal, but the Mets nevertheless began Thursday with a league-best 18-7 record. According to analyst Sarah Langs of the MLB website, the Mets' 12-1 Citi Field record represents the best 13-game home start in franchise history. 

The Amazins will now head into Friday's series opener at the Washington Nationals (11-13) in the middle of a seven-game winning streak. 

"This is a team that don’t give up," a delighted Soto added on Wednesday. "We keep working day in, day out, every inning. It doesn’t matter if we’re winning by a lot or we’re losing by a lot. I think the guys have been showing that we never give up."

History suggests Soto will eventually heat up at the plate. Thus, one can't blame Mets fans for feeling optimistic on the final Thursday of April about what could be to come over the next several months.