Mar 10, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) rounds third base following a home run during the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

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WATCH: Juan Soto gives a fitting response to a fan yelling ‘Overpaid, Overrated’

“It’s fun to make them quiet really quick"

How do you silence a heckler? By sending a baseball their way.

Juan Soto had the perfect response to a fan questioning his worth, and he let his bat do the talking. During Monday’s Mets-Cardinals spring training game, a fan from the grass beyond right field took it upon himself to remind Soto of his hefty contract, repeatedly shouting, “Overpaid! Overrated!” as the star outfielder stood in his position.

ALSO READ: Money wasn’t everything in Juan Soto’s bold Mets decision

Soto didn’t react with anything but a death stare toward the fan. The big response came a little later. In his next at-bat, Juan Soto launched the first pitch from Sonny Gray over the right-field fence, directly toward the same heckler. The fan attempted to catch the home run ball but ended up on the ground, a moment that quickly went viral on social media.

Juan Soto heard a fan in right field calling him “Overpaid, Overrated” and launched a ball right to him @StoolBaseball @GottaBelievePod
pic.twitter.com/WB6YXDYSSD
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 11, 2025

For all the criticism, it sure seemed like that fan wanted a piece of Soto’s “overpaid” home run.

As the ball cleared the fence, Soto pointed at the heckler, marking the moment as the Mets took a 4-0 lead in what would become an 8-0 win over St. Louis.

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This likely won’t be the last time Soto faces jeers from the stands, but if this home run is any indication, opposing fans might want to rethink their trash talk. Or at least maybe make sure it doesn’t end with them looking like the way he did.

“It’s fun to make them quiet really quick,” Soto told the New York Post later in the week. “It feels really good to see them go quiet.” So far, Juan Soto is proving his worth in spring training, batting close to .400 in spring training.

Juan Soto

Mets

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.