Inside The Mets

Mets star Juan Soto falls short of Yankees' Aaron Judge in right field ranking

New York Mets slugger Juan Soto isn't the best right fielder in baseball, according to this analyst.

Grant Young

Sep 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) and New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrate after scoring agianst the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Sep 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) and New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrate after scoring agianst the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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When the New York Yankees acquired slugger Juan Soto via trade with the San Diego Padres before the 2024 MLB season, incumbent right fielder Aaron Judge agreed to move to center field so that Soto could remain in his natural position.

This created arguably the best MLB outfield duo that has existed in decades. And while Soto and Judge both produced fantastic 2024 seasons, their success wasn't enough to bring the Yankees a World Series trophy.

Then Soto signed with the New York Mets this offseason, which prompted Judge to move back to right field for the Yankees. Therefore, he and Soto now play the same position.

In preparation for the 2025 MLB season, Bleacher Report has released player rankings for every position. Their right field ranking was revealed on March 17 and had Soto slotted at No. 2 behind Judge, who took the top spot.

Read more: Mets top prospect Ryan Clifford praises this veteran's leadership

While Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter didn't explain why he slotted Judge ahead of Soto, his sentiment seems to be that Judge is the reigning AL MVP. However, Mets fans might argue that Reuter got these final two spaces mixed up, if only because Soto is 26 years old and boasts better plate discipline than Judge, who is much more prone to striking out.

Regardless, the bottom line is that these rankings are objective, and both Soto and Judge are among the top baseball players in the world.

Mets fans are surely just happy that they now have a guy who's not just in the conversation for baseball's best player right now, but likely will be for the next decade-plus.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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