The Washington Nationals have two excellent sluggers on their roster: one, Juan Soto, is the king of plate discipline and perhaps the majors’ most complete hitter, and the other, Nelson Cruz, is more of a traditional thumper with legitimate 40-homer power at 40+ years of age.
The official MLB Twitter account posted a picture of the two men with a bat on their hands talking, most likely about hitting.
MLB reporter Sarah Langs shared a fun fact between the two teammates.
“Feb. 17, 1998: Nelson Cruz signed by the Mets as an amateur FA. Oct. 25, 1998: Juan Soto born,” she wrote.
Feb. 17, 1998: Nelson Cruz signed by the Mets as an amateur FA
Oct. 25, 1998: Juan Soto born https://t.co/G0DyZmZsvF
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) March 29, 2022
We already knew that Cruz may be old enough to be Soto’s father, and that actually makes his recent achievements all the more impressive.
Two Impressive Hitters On Different Parts Of The Curve
Playing professional sports at 41 years old is harder than it looks: it requires a healthy diet and a year-round workout routine to keep the body in shape.
It takes discipline and will power, and Cruz is aging like wine.
He didn’t quite have his best season in 2021 between two teams, but still managed to slash .265/.334/.497 with 32 homers in 140 games.
Soto, on the other hand, is in an upward trajectory: he is already one of MLB’s best players, and quite likely the best hitter (although Vladimir Guerrero Jr. may have something to say about that).
At 23, Soto already has 98 career home runs and slashed .313/.465/.534 last season, with 29 dingers.
He was as good of an MVP candidate as the winner, Bryce Harper.
It’s cool to see these two Nationals stars swing the bat and put impressive numbers with such a high age differential.
MLB often treats fans with these odd, but fascinating situations.
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