Young players in Major League Baseball always seem to have a veteran player that they look up to and see as their mentor.
Often times, aging players are brought to younger teams to be somewhat of a voice of reason and veteran presence in the clubhouse.
And young stars enjoy having a guy around who they can learn from.
Washington Nationals‘ star Juan Soto couldn’t agree more.
The Nationals signed Nelson Cruz prior to the start of the 2022 season and Soto is enjoying having the opportunity to learn from him.
Nationals beat reporter Jessica Camerato had a chance to talk with Soto about what he’s learned from Cruz.
Soto had this to say.
What has Juan Soto learned from Nelson Cruz? "For me, it’s just how to keep positive. It doesn’t matter if things aren’t going our way. Just keep positive, keep playing baseball, keep playing hard everyday." They both homered tonight. #Nationals
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) May 12, 2022
Veteran Leadership
Young players really do appreciate having a chance to learn from a veteran player who has been at it for years.
Few players in Major League Baseball have the wealth of knowledge that Cruz does, and young players like Soto want to have an opportunity to learn from the best.
And Cruz gave him some pretty solid advice.
It’s hard for players to stay even-keel, especially when things are going wrong, but Cruz knows that better than almost anybody and understands what it takes to try and keep that even-keel attitude during the season.
Players can soak up a ton of knowledge from somebody like Cruz, who has been around the game for such a long time and has been through all of the ups and downs.
Staying positive is key for any big-league player, especially when things aren’t going right.
But there’s certainly more knowledge Soto, and the rest of the Nationals for that matter, can gain from having a guy like Cruz around.
Leave a Reply