If you flash back to last season, many believed Juan Soto was unhappy as a Met. Quietness in the clubhouse, minimal contact with teammates, the Soto energy “nowhere” to be found. Yet, one year later, Soto has consistently shown his enjoyment of this squad and his comfort level, especially around the young stars on the rise.See, for Soto, the 27-year-old’s baseball career began at the age of 19, and in eight years, he’s reached milestones that many are chasing in their 30s. Soto already holds a grocery list of milestones, starting along the lines of “youngest player to ___,” recently becoming the youngest player since Albert Pujols to reach the 250-home run milestone.For Soto, however, a team last year that was full of seasoned veterans now employs an outfield of inexperienced rookies, bringing newfound life to the team. It’s very apparent that Soto has taken over as a leader in the clubhouse, consistently seen chatting and joking with his fellow outfielders, being the first one to greet Carson Benge following his walk-off single against the Yankees — picking Benge up from the ground, grabbing him tightly.Juan Soto was the first one out of the dugout to celebrate Carson Benges's walk-off single. Soto is THE mentor ❤️pic.twitter.com/vk0K6B9rlI— SleeperMets (@SleeperMets) May 18, 2026"That's one of the things that we looked at when we signed here, how great the farm system was and how much talent is down there,” said Soto following the Mets win on May 14 (h/t SNY Mets on Twitter). “To get to see it live is really cool to see."Juan Soto on Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, and the Mets' younger players:"That's one of the things that we looked at when we signed here, how great was the farm system and how much talent is down there. To get to see it live is really cool to see." pic.twitter.com/rLvk6mrDOt— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 14, 2026This triggered many Yankees fans, who expected Soto to choose the Bronx solely based on their success in his lone season with the squad, where they made the World Series and fell to the Dodgers in five games. Instead, Soto chose the place with more money, signing in Queens for 15 years at $765 million, making him the highest-paid athlete ever.His first season was somehow viewed as a “disappointment” to his standards, batting .263 with a .921 OPS and .396 OBP, while slugging 43 home runs and 105 RBIs, becoming the first Met ever to record 40-plus home runs and 30-plus stolen bases, just missing the 40/40 mark by two swiped bags.However, his start to the 2026 campaign has proven one thing — Soto is more comfortable in Queens, which makes every at-bat even more dangerous for opposing pitchers.Juan Soto has transformed into the mentor of Mets' youth movementSoto missed a stretch of games, setting the Mets back early in the season, going 3-14 without their star player. With Soto available in the lineup, however, the Mets are 19-13 — showing how pivotal his production is to their success. Although opponents have attempted to pitch around Soto, he still can’t stop reaching base.It’s fair to say Soto has very much benefited from a lineup where he has some of the most major league experience, the opposite of when Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor, and Pete Alonso accompanied him. That said, the star outfielder has loved what he's seen from Benge thus far in his young career."He's a leader,” said Soto when asked about Benge (h/t SNY Mets on Twitter). “He's a guy who wants to be out there; he wants to be a part of every single play. He's hungry to play the game. He's showing up every day, he's having fun, he's bringing the energy. I feel like he's the perfect role model to be the leadoff guy."The Mets are proving to their star player that there’s a reliable core set to stick around him for the near future, making the Mets the perfect destination, no matter what the salty rival borough of New York claims.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow