San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto is part of a stacked team.
That’s no secret to anybody who has been following baseball lately, but the fact he admitted it was the most talented group he has been a part of is noteworthy.
Recently asked to compare the 2023 Padres with the 2019 Washington Nationals, Soto offered a thorough answer, one that will really interest both fan bases.
“I’ve never been on a team more talented than this,” Soto said. “But I will never have more fun than I did in 2019. We had a lot of veterans. They knew how to have fun. No one worried about going to free agency. They just went out there, trying to win ballgames,” The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli tweeted.
“I’ve never been on a team more talented than this,” Soto said. “But I will never have more fun than I did in 2019. We had a lot of veterans. They knew how to have fun. No one worried about going to free agency. They just went out there, trying to win ballgames.” https://t.co/JuVhZgBbIp
— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) April 17, 2023
In case you don’t remember, those 2019 Nats had Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick, Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, Anibal Sanchez, Daniel Hudson, Sean Doolittle, and “Baby Shark” himself, Gerardo Parra.
Oh, and they had a 20-year-old Juan Soto in his second season hitting key home runs against the Houston Astros in the World Series.
It was an unforgettable group and Soto always has them on his mind.
However, he says these Padres are even better, which is no small praise.
This year, Soto is surrounded by Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Josh Hader, Robert Suarez, Ha-Seong Kim, Trent Grisham, Nelson Cruz, Jake Cronenworth, and starting from this week, Fernando Tatis Jr.
That’s not too shabby.
Better days are definitely ahead for the 8-9 Padres now that they will have Tatis back.
This is a special collection of talent that already made it to the NL Championship Series without Bogaerts, Cruz, and Tatis last year.
The potential, for the Padres, is high.
Will they reach it?
NEXT: Fans React To Fernando Tatis Jr.'s Massive Night