The battle sensation, an immortal future, the player of a generation, comparisons to Ted Williams and more were part of the spring of the Washington Nationals’ Dominican outfielder Juan Soto.
At the age of 22, Soto knows what he wants and how he wants it, and whether they let him choose between himself and someone else, be it Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis Jr. or whoever is, he will always choose for himself.
“For me my mentality always comes to me, I trust myself, my abilities. I’ve always noticed that those players, I love their way of being, to me they are superstars, unbelievable, but at the end of the day when we go to you, I go to me. I will never take anything away from Mike Trout. For me he’s one of the best, but when they compare him to me, I’ll always choose myself over anyone, ”said Soto in an interview via Zoom.
And why not? MLB already considers him the third best outfielder in the Major Leagues, behind only Trout and Mookie Betts.
In just three years in the Major Leagues, he already holds a 2019 championship title and a lead in the National League after hitting .351 last season.
He tries to take it slow and despite being extremely confident, he remains humble and enjoys the game.
“What I like best is hitting. I like the game, playing hard, listening to the noise of the people, but what I like the most is hitting. But if I make an action in the outfield, run the bases, that’s fine too, ”he added.
Soto left the game on Thursday after feeling a squeeze in his right calf during an at bat by 11 pitchers off fellow Miami Marlins Sixto Sánchez. Soto was treated on Friday and with a day off on Saturday, he is expected to return to the line-up on Sunday.
“I felt a little squeeze in his calf, but in that sense everything will be fine,” said de Quisqueyano.
“I will never take anything away from Mike Trout. For me he is one of the best, but when they compare him to me, I will always choose myself over anyone else ”
Face the best
Soto is motivated with the start of the season and with NL East, where he will regularly compete against the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins.
But the best part for Soto is confronting the best pitcher in the business.
“Jacob deGrom is the funniest at bat, he’s the best pitcher in the business and it’s always good to face the best to challenge your body and mind,” he revealed.
In 15 career-at-bats against deGrom, Soto hits .200 with one homerun and three RBI’s.
About the contract
ESPN magazine published a report on Soto profiling him as the first athlete to receive a $ 500 million contract in professional sports in the United States.
For the Dominican, that will only be a motivation to help both his family and those around him.
“My family has always been most important to me. When they talk to me about a long-term contract, I think about the people I’m going to help. Not just my family, but also the people who grew up with me, those in my neighborhood. When you see people who don’t have food, that’s strong. Since I signed on July 2, my mindset has always been to help my family, and I think that has made me a better person, ”he said.
Stay focused
Soto always remains focused on his job and there is little that takes him out of his concentration when he is on the field. But how do you ensure that the many distractions outside the field do not fade away?
“I try to stay away from social networks during the season, which is handled by my reps, because I don’t want to lose focus,” he said.