Love him or hate him, one has to admit Juan Soto is a man built different. He has just barely suited up in orange and blue, and he is already making headlines. Both with his bat and through his words.
After he blasted his first home run in Mets uniform, he made it clear—the word ‘pressure’ isn’t there in his dictionary. “Just thinking about what we can do and what we can be capable of doing as a team—I think it takes all the pressure off.” He helped the Mets get a 3-1 win over the Astros, so the strategy seems full-proof.
Plus, all that confidence, it’s not just talk. His ability to control the plate and work deep counts. And he is already making an impression as a franchise cornerstone. The former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman, Xavier Scruggs, in fact, couldn’t help but just admire the 26-year-old’s attitude as he faced off against the top prospect of the Cardinals.
“He’s not swinging outside the zone. And this is one of the better at-bats to me. He’s facing McGreevy, a top prospect with the Cardinals—a guy they expect a lot from. He’s challenging him; he gets deep in the count, and it’s almost like he gets better with every single pitch,” said Scruggs.
But what shocked Scruggs most was Juan Soto’s smile! “You see him smiling. You don’t see guys do that. That tells you everything about the confidence he has.”
And well for the Dominican star, this confidence isn’t just his approach at the plate. It’s about his place in baseball history, and he isn’t afraid to embrace it. In a recent sit-down with ESPN’s Jeff Passan, for example, Soto was asked about who he feels is the ‘best hitter of all time.’ His response—take a guess?
“Myself!”
And while Passan simply laughed at the boldness, Soto the said, “Until you prove to me I’m wrong.” And well, on Friday he proved it, that he is among the baseball’s finest. And with his record-breaking contract and talent, Soto has every reason to think he is the best. For the record, he earns $140,000 per day. But one thing is for sure: with Soto’s bold claim, it’s clear that he sees himself at the pinnacle of excellence. Even, Aaron Judge acknowledges the unique talent that is Juan Soto.
Aaron Judge says “nobody can replace” Juan Soto
Across town, Aaron Judge is busy making a history of his own. So early on in the season, they have already shown immense power. They simply obliterated the Brewers 20-9 on Saturday and ended up getting nine home runs, just shy of one to set an MLB record. Judge, meanwhile, put on a show, going 4 for 6 with three homers, eight RBIs, and a double.
But even in the middle of such an explosion, Judge couldn’t ignore the impact of his former teammate Juan Soto. “Nobody can replace Soto. He’s unique, but I think with the players we brought in, we were able to cover some deficiencies that we probably had last year.” The Yankee captain sure knows players like Juan Soto don’t come around that often.
Meanwhile, Soto made a statement of his own in Houston. In the third inning of a 2-0 game, he dug in against Hunter Brown. With two outs and a 102 count, Brown had fired up a 96 MPH cutter above the zone. It looked like practically at Soto’s hand. Now most players might have swung through. But Soto crushed it. The sound that rocketed off his bat itself sent a jolt!
“Oh, sick,” is what Pete Alonso had to say about Juan Soto’s performance. “I mean, he hit it off the facade of the second deck. It’s always super fun here because everything is sort of closed in, so homers here just look awesome.” Had the roof not been closed, the ball might be traveling on the Houston highway now!
And one cannot disagree that Soto’s gameplay is sick, right? And probably Soto’s comment on how he is surprised by the amount of fans the Mets have can be ignored happily, as he made up for it with a lovely game. Don’t you think?
The post “Don’t See Guys Do That” – Juan Soto’s Confidence Leaves Cardinals’ Ex-Pro Stunned In Utmost Praise appeared first on EssentiallySports.