Analyst shares how Juan Soto must improve amid Mets' pursuit of Phillies in NL East race

Regardless of how one feels about the fact that New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto wasn't selected for the National League All-Star Game roster, multiple statistics show he produced All-Star-caliber numbers from the start of June through the mid-July break. 

That said, ESPN's David Schoenfield noted on Thursday how Soto must improve at the plate as the 55-42 Mets and 55-41 Philadelphia Phillies seem destined to battle for the NL East division title throughout the second half of the season. 

"He has hit only .183/.330/.390 with runners in scoring position and .176/.337/.340 with men on base," Schoenfield shared about Soto. "According to Baseball Reference, he has a .783 OPS in high-leverage situations, .773 in medium leverage and 1.053 in low leverage." 

Soto is hardly the only person to blame for the Mets' offensive woes, as they fell from 45-24 to 48-38 before they enjoyed a turnaround ahead of the All-Star break. On Wednesday, Laura Albanese of Newsday mentioned that the Mets' .230 batting average with runners in scoring position was the league's fourth-worst for the first half of the campaign. Additionally, All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor ended this past Sunday hitting .224 with runners in scoring position. 

As Schoenfield referenced, however, Soto is the guy who is in the first season of a 15-year, $765M contract. Thus, he's expected to carry the team when others aren't coming through in clutch situations. 

The good news for the Amazins is that there are signs that Soto has reclaimed his best form after a slow start to his Mets tenure. Per Baseball Reference, Soto slashed .311/.455/.659 with a 1.114 OPS, 14 home runs and 29 RBI over games played from June 1 through July 13. According to Baseball Savant, his .455 expected weighted on-base average (wOBA) on the season ranks second in MLB, behind only New York Yankees captain and former teammate Aaron Judge (.467). 

During Thursday's edition of ESPN's "Get Up," MLB insider Jeff Passan predicted that Soto will lead the league in home runs for the second half of the season.

"He's on pace for 6.5 WAR, which isn't quite what he did with the Yankees last season (7.9) but is right in line with his career average per 162 games (6.3)," Schoenfield added about Soto. 

Soto will attempt to produce in high-leverage moments when the Mets open a three-game home series against the Cincinnati Reds (50-47) on Friday.