It certainly hasn't been the year that was expected from the payroll-heavy New York Mets. 

Juan Soto, however, is posting numbers that could be overlooked because of the team's troubles.

Entering Monday, the 27-year-old Soto led the National League with a .407 on-base percentage, .966 OPS and 167 OPS+. 

However, a deeper dive into the numbers shows just some of the reasons why Soto is succeeding.

Those are numbers that show just how locked in Soto has been at the plate, especially over his last 15 games. During that span, he's hit .340 in 50 at-bats and walked 13 times while striking out just five times.

A look at Juan Soto's success in down year for Mets

Expand that out even further, and Soto has slashed .323/.439/.632 with 14 home runs, four doubles, one triple, 32 RBI, 29 runs, 32 walks, and a 1.071 OPS over his last 44 games. Since May 14, his 1.071 OPS is the third-highest mark among all MLB qualifiers.

As the numbers show, Soto is certainly heating up in recent games. He's also reached base in 48 of his last 97 plate appearances. Before that, Soto had only reached base four times in his prior 26 plate appearances.

With the Mets and Braves scheduled to meet again on Monday night in the finale of a four-game series in Atlanta, Soto has the opportunity to do more damage against one of his favorite victims. In 96 career games against Atlanta, Soto has slashed .335/.495/.652 with 27 home runs, 70 RBI, 13 doubles, two triples, 99 walks and a 1.147 OPS.

Soto has recovered from a calf strain that forced him out of action for roughly three weeks early in the season. While Soto has recovered from his early-season struggles, the Mets (sitting at 37-53 heading into Monday night) certainly have not, and now it's a question of just how much the team will change at the upcoming MLB trade deadline.

Soto will get the outfield start in the upcoming All-Star Game thanks to the annual fan vote. It marks his first time as an All-Star with the Mets, and the numbers show the honor is well-deserved.