Juan Soto is the man of the hour, after it was revealed on Wednesday that he turned down $350 million from the Washington Nationals before the lockout.
The Nationals offered that amount over a 13-year period in their latest extension, but Soto feels he is worth more than that.
Some fans have said that, in his position (a 23-year-old athlete, with everything that comes with that reality), they would have taken the money.
But Soto remains firm on his demands and probably won’t sign for less than $400 million.
He is already an MVP candidate, a World Series winner, and a batting champion.
How many 23-year-olds can say that?
Soto has the ability to hit for average (.301 for his career) and power (98 homers, before turning 24) while playing good defense and being an OK runner.
He has, additionally, shown that he is not afraid of the big stage: his performance in the 2019 playoffs is all the evidence we need.
Plate Discipline Is Soto’s Most Impressive Attribute
However, none of those traits are the most impressive part of his game.
Soto’s plate discipline is the best of the league, and is what makes him special.
Take this stat, brought to us by Codify:
Most career walks before their 23rd birthday?
Juan Soto, 373 😮
Mel Ott, 366
Ted Williams, 314 https://t.co/sb2stAZjNq— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) February 16, 2022
Mel Ott and Ted Williams, especially the latter, are the gold standard for plate discipline for young hitters in the history of the game.
Barry Bonds, too, but he reached his peak later in his career.
The fact that Soto has 59 more walks before his 23rd birthday than Teddy Ballgame tells you everything you need to know about his eye at the plate.
We also need to consider that one of the seasons he played had only 60 games.
Soto is a true star, and is worth every penny he asks for.
