On his first day with his new team, the 25-year-old star outfielder entered a news conference in the tent behind third base wearing a white-patterned Navy T-shirt that proclaimed: “The generational Juan Soto.
His prediction for his production in a lineup alongside 2022 American League MVP Aaron Judge was just as bold.
“It’s going to be two walks or it’s going to be two snappers,” Soto said Monday.
A three-time All-Star, Soto was acquired from San Diego on December 6 along with outfielder Trent Grisham for four pitchers and catcher Kyle Higashioka. Soto hit .275 with 35 home runs, 109 RBIs and a .930 OPS in his only full season with the Padres, leaving him with a .284 average, 160 home runs, 483 RBIs and a .946 OPS in six seasons. in Major League Baseball that included a 2019 World Series title with Washington.
Soto is eligible for free agency after the World Series, so it’s unclear whether he will become a longtime sharpener like Lou Gehrig, the subject of the 1942 film “The Pride of the Yankees.”
Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer from Washington before the Nationals gave Soto to San Diego in August 2022, betting Soto would earn a better deal as a free agent after the 2024 season.
“You put the pressure on yourself,” Soto said, “and at the end of the day I just try to throw that away and go out and play baseball, just try to show what I’ve got and do my best.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Soto hoped to play for the Yankees, who have a significant Latino fan base.
“It’s going to be electric,” he said. “It’s going to feel like home.”
Soto praised Robinson Canó, an eight-time All-Star second baseman who played for the Yankees from 2005-13 and was Soto’s Dominican teammate in last year’s World Baseball Classic.
“That’s the guy I followed since I was a kid and a guy I want to be like,” Soto said.
Soto has four home runs in six career games and 23 at-bats at Yankee Stadium. He reminded himself not to let the stadium impact his swing.
“Definitely don’t go crazy with a short porch in right field,” he said.
Soto is letting agent Scott Boras handle contract talks. Most of Boras’s prime clients wait until after they become free agents to negotiate deals.
“I just let Scott do it,” Soto said. “It’s tough. I have a lot of confidence in him and what he’s going to do.”
Source: AP
