The 2026 Mets Prediction Series: Juan Soto

We are now exactly two weeks away from Opening Day, which means across Mets Nation the annual ritual has begun.

No, not spring cleaning.

Prediction season.

From now until the first pitch of the season at Citi Field, we’re going to spend a few minutes each day here at Kiner’s Korner doing something Mets fans love almost as much as debating, 50 years later, whether Yogi Berra should have started George Stone in Game 6 and Tom Seaver in Game 7 of the 1973 World Series.

Trying to predict the future of the New York Mets.

And since none of us actually owns a functioning crystal ball (mine was recalled in 1993 after predicting the Mets would win 110 games), we’re going to lean on the next best things:

The oddsmakers in Las Vegas and the statistical supercomputers that churn out projections all winter long.

So what do the baseball fortune tellers think about the 2026 Mets?

Let’s continue with Juan Soto.

If you were designing the ideal modern hitter in a laboratory somewhere under Citi Field, he’d probably look a lot like Soto: patience, power, swagger, and the ability to make pitchers question their life choices.

Here’s what the projection machines from FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference think Soto will do in 2026.

After averaging all the projection systems, the Kiner’s Korner Crystal Ball lands at:

37 Home Runs

100 RBIs

.272 Batting Average

21 Stolen Bases

Which basically means Soto is expected to do what Soto usually does:

get on base, crush baseballs, and make opposing pitchers wish they had chosen accounting as a career.

Soto’s Track Record

By the time the 2026 season begins, Soto will still be just 27 years old, which is slightly terrifying if you’re a National League pitcher.

A quick look at his résumé:

244 career home runs already

A career .282 batting average

Nearly 900 walks, which means he sees more pitches than most airport radar systems.

And a reputation as one of the most disciplined hitters in baseball

In 2025 with the Mets, Soto launched 43 home runs and drove in 105 runs, while still drawing more walks than a Manhattan dog-walker on a sunny afternoon.

Translation: when Soto steps into the batter’s box, something interesting usually happens.

The Kiner’s Korner Question

So here’s where you come in, Mets Nation.

Juan Soto Under/Over 37 Home Runs

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Juan Soto Under/Over 100 RBIS

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Juan Soto Under/Over .272 Average

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Juan Soto Under/Over 21 Stolen Bases

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The computers have spoken.

The crystal ball has been consulted.

Now it’s your turn.

Drop your predictions in the comments below and let the debate begin. And if you want to talk Mets baseball every day with fellow fans, be sure to join our ever-growing Kiner’s Korner Facebook group, where the discussion continues long after the final out.