Inside the Mets’ new outfield ritual: ‘That’s a Juan thing’

NEW YORK — From his position in right field, Juan Soto jogged toward the New York Mets’ dugout, stopping short of the steps. The half-inning on defense had ended and he was soon due up. But Soto lingered on the field for a beat, for a reason.

Center fielder Tyrone Taylor trotted over and tapped his glove with Soto’s. Together, they waited some more.

Finally, when left fielder Brandon Nimmo completed the trek to the railing of the Mets’ dugout at Citi Field, on the first base side, all three outfielders shared a quick embrace.

The Mets’ outfielders do this after every half-inning on defense during every game.

“That’s a Juan thing,” Taylor says.

Though Soto, in his eighth year, is off to his worst offensive start through a season’s first 56 games (.745 OPS), he has kept up with a team-centric idea he introduced to his new outfield mates during spring training.

The steady Soto-led outfielder gatherings near the dugout underscore a desire to connect with teammates. That is no small thing in the context of Soto. Seemingly, his every public move and expression generates a dialogue about his disposition amid his slow start after signing a 15-year contract worth $765 million, the richest deal in sports.

Back in spring training, Soto whistled in the direction of Nimmo to get the veteran’s attention. Nimmo had made a beeline toward the Mets’ dugout after a half-inning on defense. When his eyes met Soto’s, Soto told him, per Nimmo’s recollection, “We’re staying here. We’re going to do something with all the outfielders here.”

“It was something he brought in. I thought it was great,” Nimmo said in a recent interview. “Every team has their own things that they bring in and try to do, and Juan made it a point right away that, that was something he wanted to do. It just brings that teamwork, that team chemistry of trying to get everyone to pull on the same end of the rope. It’s another tool for doing that.”

Soto got the idea from Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. The two were teammates with the Washington Nationals in 2021 for just half a season. But Schwarber “impressed and shocked” — Soto’s words — Soto with his leadership skills, namely, the little routine of waiting up for fellow outfielders.

Schwarber, Soto said, used to tell Soto all the time, “As outfielders, we all are back there and we should all have each other’s backs.”

Soto decided to store that message in his mind.

“I know we are a whole team,” he said, “but as outfielders, we have a lot of responsibilities back there, so if we can stick together more and more, even when guys do make an error or something, just pick them up, have a talk before going in to hit. It’s huge for me. After Schwarber taught me that, I started doing it, and I feel like a lot of my teammates appreciate it.”

That goes for all of Soto’s stops along the way.

“Even last year, with the Yankees, everyone knows Aaron Judge was the leader, the captain, but he loved it every time I waited for him or waited for the guys at the steps,” Soto said. “It’s just a different feeling. That makes me happy. That makes me part of it. It helps the team in moving forward.”

With the Mets, the Soto meetup spot is already a hit.

“It’s a small thing,” Taylor said, “but it makes you feel like, hey, we are here for each other.”

Communication in the outfield is vital. Players call for balls in the gaps. They back one another up. They share information. (Or at least they are supposed to do all of that.) Sometimes, the quick meetups before the outfield trio heads into the dugout cover a play that just occurred on the field. Other times, they simply share a laugh. Either way, players say they see a benefit.

“Every little thing matters,” Soto said. “It’s a really long season. Sometimes, we focus on the big scenarios and the big things and forget about the little things. And it’s the little things that can change everything for a whole team. It helps you to go all the way. Outfielders, this is our thing.”

The only time one of the other outfielders skips joining Soto is when they’re leading off an inning. Then, Taylor says, “It’s air-fives.”

Before Soto’s arrival, Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor waited to acknowledge all the other fielders near the steps of the dugout before exiting the field. Funny enough, Lindor still does that. Now he just has to wait for the outfielders to first do their own Soto-inspired thing. With a laugh, Lindor said he didn’t mind at all waiting the extra handful of seconds.

“It’s great,” Lindor said. “I think it’s fantastic. He understands there are two guys alongside him who all work together. He wanted to create that, and he’s doing it. He’s been doing it since spring training. It’s not, ‘When I do good, I do it,’ and, ‘When I do bad, I don’t do it’ — he’s consistent with it.”

(Photo of Juan Soto, Tyrone Taylor and Brandon Nimmo: Maria Lysaker / Getty Images)