When the New York Mets signed Juan Soto to an amazing $765 million deal, the expectation was that Soto would provide elite plate discipline, solid slugging potential, and great all-around hitting prowess for the Mets.
While he began the year slower than expected, he's more than turned things around and is having an incredible season. But, while his 42 home runs and .934 OPS are both strong numbers, the thing that's most noteworthy about Soto has been his base-stealing ability.
Soto's base-stealing prowess this season has come out of nowhere, as a new phase of his game is making the outfielder even more valuable. Amid Soto's base-stealing explosion, MLB insider for ESPN, Jeff Passan, named Soto as the recipient of an accolade dedicated to base-stealing: something no baseball fans could've predicted heading into the season.
Juan Soto named 'base thief of the year' in first Mets season
"Of all the unbelievable things to happen in 2025 -- the no-way-that-can-be-true, how-did-that-happen, you-got-to-be-kidding-me-facts -- this is unquestionably the wildest: Juan Soto leads MLB in stolen bases in the second half." Passan writes.
Soto not only leads all players in stolen bases in the second half, but he's also top-10 on the year in the category. Soto has 35 stolen bases, which is tied with Pete Crow-Armstrong, and only one behind prolific base-stealers in Trea Turner and Elly De La Cruz.
In the last 30 days, Soto has 14 stolen bases, two more than Corbin Carroll, one of the best base-stealers since he's coming into the league.
It's already impressive for any player to reach 30 stolen bases in a season, but for Soto, whose previous career-high was just 12 in a season, this year has been nothing short of remarkable.
He's one stolen base away from tripling his previous career high, and of his 92 professional stolen bases, over a third have come during the 2025 MLB season.
MORE: Mets' Juan Soto is first in MLB history with this home run trifecta record
Not only is this sudden surge of stolen bases impressive, but it's even more impressive considering it's his first year on a massive deal, and also the first time, in eight seasons, he's shown this ability.
Since coming into the Majors, Soto has been one of the best players. But one of the main aspects of his game was the lack of base-stealing ability and subpar defense. While his defense still isn't the best, he's become one of the most dangerous baserunners in the sport.
Soto is proving that, in today's game, being a good base stealer isn't all about speed. It's about timing, anticipation, and effective running. Even though he's not the fastest, Soto is one of the most feared baserunners in the sport.
Passan naming Soto the "Base Thief of the Year" is more than warranted. While he doesn't lead the Majors in stolen bases, his base-stealing ability is one of the more stunning developments of the 2025 MLB season.
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