"If Juan Soto is struggling mentally, he doesn't show it" - When Nationals manager Dave Martinez revealed Mets star's tough approach

Juan Soto was a force to be reckoned with as a member of the Washington Nationals. The slugger kicked down the door when he debuted during the 2018 season and has never looked back.

However, Soto did run into some trouble during the 2022 season. By June, HE struggled to get his barrel on breaking balls, being ranked as the league's worst hitter against secondary pitches.

Soto was only hitting .067 against breaking balls. Manager Dave Martinez explained that the slugger was caught between sitting on fastballs and breaking balls, via Sports Illustrated.

"He's been caught in between. He knows he's getting a lot of breaking balls and he's letting a lot of good pitches go by that he can hit," Martinez said.

Much of what Soto was dealing with was mental, but he never showed it. Martinez was impressed by how level he kept himself even when he was frustrated with his play.

"If he is struggling mentally, he doesn't show it. I keep an eye on him. He's the future of this organization. He's the guy these guys are going to follow," Martinez said.

Juan Soto's future with the Nationals came to an abrupt end

Former Washington Nationals Slugger - Juan Soto (Photo via IMAGN)

During the 2022 season, Juan Soto was thinking about his next contract. The Nationals offered him a 15-year, $440 million contract extension, but he turned them down.

That would eventually lead to Washington looking for a trade partner. They settled on the San Diego Padres, getting MacKenzie Gore, Jarlin Susana, Robert Hassell III, James Wood, CJ Abrams, and Luke Voit.

Soto would spend the rest of the 2022 and 2023 seasons in San Diego before being traded again. He would then put on the iconic pinstripes during the 2024 season, suiting up for the New York Yankees.

The Bronx Bombers only had him for one season before he became a free agent. They tried to figure out an extension, but the two sides could not come to an agreement.

This led to Soto signing the biggest MLB contract in history with the New York Mets. The two sides agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal.

Soto has been worth the money so far through the spring. He hit a home run in his first at-bat with his new club. He hit his second on Friday, and the fanbase could not be more excited.