Juan Soto has established himself as the best hitter in baseball at a very young age. Clearly, the New York Yankees needed exactly someone like him. For a long time, the NY side has not made it to the World Series. Moreover, they failed to make the postseason in 2023 for the first time since 2016. On top of that, they finished with a terrible 82-80 record. It was the worst season for the Yankees in the last 30 years. If that was bad enough, the Bronx Bombers had the second-worst batting average. They were only better than the nine-time champions, the Oakland Athletics.
Anyhow, the Yankees needed someone to bolster their offense and outfield. And who’s a better option than the Dominican superstar? Moreover, there was a time when the Yankees used to be familiar with winning the “Big Dance.” Since 2009, they have not even reached the World Series. But the best hitter in baseball has a World Series win on his impressive resume. Like he helped the Washington Nationals win the World Series, can he help the Yankees win it again? Recently, the Yankees skipper praised the Dominican superstar for being the champion player that he is.
Yankees Believe In Juan Soto As He Is Yankees’ Poster Boy
Recently, Aaron Boone told The Daily News that his father, Bob Boone, a baseball lifer, saw Soto a long time ago and said he could become the best hitter in the game. Several other Yankees, like Marcus Stroman and Trent Grisham, praised the skills that Juan Soto possesses. Both Stroman and Grisham joined the Yankees this offseason. In fact, Soto and Grisham were part of the same trade deal between the San Diego Padres and the NY Yankees. Moreover, Marcus Stroman told The News that sometimes he feels that Soto knows the strike zone better than the umpires.
Moreover, Stroman also mentioned that Soto does his homework on the umpires a lot. The new Yankees starting pitcher mentioned, “When Soto says it ball, generally it turns out he was right.” Moreover, Juan Soto told The News that he likes to have conversations with the umpires and make them feel comfortable. He likes to see where their strike zones are as well as where their strengths are on a particular day. Carlos Rodon told The News that umpires know that Soto knows the strike zones, and that’s why Soto is very collected in the box.
Everybody Knows The Dominican Superstar Is A Student Of The Game
The first MLB manager of Juan Soto, Dave Martinez, mentioned Soto is a student of the game. He likes to know what is happening around the league. Moreover, the Nationals skipper mentioned Juan Soto pays attention to everything – hitting and pitching. Also, Martinez mentioned Soto loves the game and loves watching other players. As per The News, Juan Soto does not analyze the scouting reports of the umpires. But during games, he will chat with the umpires.
As a result, he will have a clearer picture of the day’s zones and the umpire’s tendencies. Moreover, Trent Grisham said it is really impressive how Juan Soto is very diligent about what he will swing at in the cage every day. Most players do that, but the way Soto takes it out during the game is what impresses Grisham the most. About that, Soto said he trained himself to that and he just lets himself go. That has been helping his game grow over the years.
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