The moment that Juan Soto placed a New York Mets cap upon his head, the expectations for the team were instantly raised.
During spring training in Port St. Lucie, there was no grace period. Soto hit the ground running with his new team, homering in his first Grapefruit League at-bat and maintaining that offensive success throughout.
A tough division like the National League East, which includes the Braves, Phillies and up-and-coming Nationals, might curb some expectations, but Soto has raised the bar.
"You always gotta be expecting to be at the top," Soto said on the final day of spring training.