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PORT ST. LUCIE — Eric Chavez has long been a fan of great hitters.
From his own playing days, he tried to emulate Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds.
More recently, his eyes have been drawn to another lefty-swinger: Juan Soto.
And after telling The Post’s Joel Sherman earlier this spring that watching Soto’s pre-workout routine gave him “goose bumps,” the Mets hitting coach has found himself even more impressed after getting to watch him play in games — albeit still in spring training — on a regular basis for the past three weeks.
“To see it from afar is fantastic,” Chavez said of Soto’s ability at the plate. “The closer he gets to you, the more you go ‘Whoa, that’s different.’ ”
Even during Grapefruit League games, Soto applies the same disciplined, patient approach he does in the regular season.
It wowed the Yankees a year ago and is doing the same thing in Mets camp.
Chavez has been so impressed by what he’s seen from Soto, he could only think of one other hitter to compare him to, and it’s not Griffey Jr.
“I think Bonds was as close to a perfect hitter as I’ve ever seen and Soto is right there on his heels,’’ Chavez said. “It’s pretty special. You kind of anticipate what he’s gonna be like when he gets here, but it’s not the same. It’s about as good as I’ve ever seen. I’m glad he’s on our side.”
As Carlos Mendoza said, “It’s a show.”
“When he comes to the plate, you can tell the difference in the stadium and in our dugout,’’ Mendoza said. “People stop what they’re doing and just watch because they don’t want to miss anything. Not even a pitch.”
Watching Soto every day, his singularity doesn’t come only from his power or ability to get on base.
It’s the way he takes pitches, looking them into the glove and rarely being fooled.
The approach starts well before he gets into the box.
“His level of thinking of what the pitcher is gonna do is one of a kind,’’ Chavez said. “He’s always one step ahead of the pitcher. He talked about facing [Kodai] Senga one time and he knew what to do with the next pitch. Sometimes, if guys have 50 at-bats against a guy, they might have a good idea of what the pitcher is doing. Soto can do it after one or two at-bats. It’s next level.”
And Chavez knows when it’s happening.
“Sometimes, a guy throws a pitch and Soto lets it go and you see him laughing,’’ Chavez said. “Right there, he’s calculating his next at-bat. And you’re almost sure he’s gonna get him, if he doesn’t do it on the next pitch.”
Both Chavez and Mendoza believe at least some of Soto’s traits can rub off on his teammates.
“He can influence everyone else in the lineup,’’ Chavez said. “He’s not loud, saying ‘Do this’ or ‘Do that.’ You can just watch him, watch his practice and take things.”
“Guys gravitate towards him,” Mendoza said. “Just by being around him, talking hitting, guys are going to pick things up and get better.”
Still, as Chavez said, “There’s only one Juan Soto in the world.”
“You can just do what you can do,’’ Chavez said. “I wanted to hit like Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds and I’d try to do it and I’d say, ‘Oh, right, I’m not Ken Griffey Jr. or Barry Bonds.’ But there are things you can do. You might not be able to do what he can, but Soto can definitely help good hitters like Francisco Alvarez and Jesse Winker be the best version of themselves. You just have to pay attention.”
