Juan Soto isn’t having his best season, but that didn’t take away from how big the trade to acquire him and Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals was for the San Diego Padres.
Soto’s power numbers are about the same, having hit 26 home runs.
His average has been what has suffered the most this year, as he’s hitting just .244.
And yet, despite all that, there is still one area where the 23-year-old outfielder is absolutely excelling.
He is still very patient at the plate and shows his discipline time and time again.
He still is very good at getting on base, and he’s done that at least twice in 24 of his last 44 games.
This is the 24th time in 44 games with the Padres that Juan Soto has reached base at least twice.
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) September 25, 2022
Juan Soto: On-Base Machine
Even through the struggles, the most professional hitters still have an incredible “it” factor.
Soto’s discipline, professionalism, and patience at the plate has still helped him out a great deal this year.
At the very least, he has been getting on base at a rapid rate.
That hasn’t changed one bit for the Padres slugger.
It’s better to be getting on base in the midst of a slump than not.
While his struggles are a major concern, he still has shown patience at the plate, which obviously results in more walks, more times on pace, and of course, more Soto shuffles, which everybody around Major League Baseball absolutely loves.
Getting on base is an ability that the best Major League hitters need to have, and Soto certainly doesn’t lack in that department.
It’s also important that he has been able to do it multiple times in multiple games.
The struggles have been mighty, but Soto can still get on base, and it’s only a matter of time before he breaks out.
NEXT: Blake Snell Needs To Be Great For The Padres