Juan Soto loses out to $162M teammate in MLB veteran’s ideal lineup for Mets leadoff role

The New York Mets have put together an imposing batting lineup for the upcoming season. Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, two of the finest hitters in the game, are at the top of their lineup. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has indicated that he intends to have Soto batting second with Lindor resuming at the leadoff spot from the previous season.

Former Seattle Mariners second baseman Harold Reynolds, however, declared that Brandon Nimmo should bat at the top ahead of Soto, with Lindor taking over the No. 3 spot. Reynolds believes this would allow the Mets to better utilize the power-hitters batting behind Soto.

Reynolds made two All-Star Game appearances during his 12-year major league career and has been a senior analyst on the MLB Network since 2007. He offered his take on the best possible Mets lineup on MLB Hot Stove this Thursday, putting Nimmo in the leadoff spot, Soto at second, followed by Lindor, Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos.

"Now I'm stacking three power hitters behind Soto," he said. "But Lindor is the lynchpin, because now I'm making you think in the other dugout. I'll go lefty, lefty. Let's say I put [Jeff] McNeil at nine like a lot of people are saying, then I got Nimmo and Soto [at the top of the lineup]. How do you break that up? You break that stuff up with how I've broken the lineup.

"That's how you force a team because of the three-batter rule," Reynolds added. "Now I have a little more control over what they're thinking in that dugout. So, you look at that lineup now and you go, "Okay, I got Nimmo. I'll bring a lefty in." Now you got Nimmo, Soto's going to hit anybody, and Lindor is going to force you to have to pitch to him."

Brandon Nimmo was picked up by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft and went on to make his MLB debut with the team in 2016. Nimmo continued his career with the Mets after signing an eight-year, $162 million contract extension ahead of the 2023 season.

"I'd have Francisco Lindor hitting behind Juan Soto": Harold Reynolds

Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor considered to be the two best hitters of the Mets lineup (Image Source: IMAGN)

Harold Reynolds explained why he would avoid having Francisco Lindor in the leadoff spot with Juan Soto batting second in the New York Mets lineup during MLB Hot Stove on Thursday.

"I'd have [Lindor] hitting behind Soto, because I want to have a guy that makes the other team think," Reynolds said. "Right now, I'm walking Soto in a number of scenarios. I'm bringing my nasty righty in, and we're going after Pete [Alonso]; we're going after [Mark] Vientos.

Being a former switch hitter himself, Reynolds seems very certain that Lindor will provide more protection to the rest of the Mets lineup if he bats behind Soto.