A Ruthian 3 HRs in 12 at-bats.
A Nietzschean .583 batting average.
A Kierkegaardian OPS of 2.143.
A Huckleberry Houndian 18 total bases in 14 plate appearances.
Holy crap, the guy has yet to hit in an actual game, and already, the Money Mets are plotting to woo him next winter.
But that's next year. In the meantime, I say, fukkit. Crack this mofo hot tub up to 105. Let's go full Calgon Bath Oil Beads. Let's marinate. Let's lobster boil. Let's luxuriate.
Don't tell me why this won't work. This might just be the best time to be a Yankee fan in all of 2024. Seriously, people, enjoy this while it lasts.
Soto could be a transformative force, the kind of hitter who raises the output of everyone - EVERYONE -around him. Whoever bats leadoff - maybe DJ, maybe Verdugo, maybe (fingers crossed) Volpe? - they will have the benefit of being protected by the most feared slugging tandem in baseball, Soto and Judge. And whomever bats cleanup - Rizzo, Torres (fingers crossed) Giancarlo? - they will face RBI opportunities unlike any season in their careers.
Obviously, we're looking at a small sample, but we're seeing Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres showing marked improvements. If Volpe is for real, and if LeMahieu returns to - say - 80 percent of his former self, our first seven batters will stress out opposing pitchers in a way that we have not seen in recent years.
As for Giancarlo? Well, if he can't hit in this lineup, he's probably done.
Listen: It's premature to expect a championship. Baltimore remains the AL gold standard. Our rotation is as thin as a coat of Windex, and our swingman is Luke Weaver. By June, we could be running a patchwork of bullpen starters and Cashmanic waiver wire pickups. But today, right now, I'm basking in what we have. Peel me a grape.
And we'll have fun, fun, fun 'til the Metsies take the Soto away...
ReplyDeleteHe's prone to slumps. He's had a couple doozies in his career. Pulls out of them, but in the Bronx? Let's hope he just stays steady.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the most important stat:
ReplyDeleteJuan Soto has a batting average of .261 with 29 hits, 7 homers, 21 RBIs and 19 runs scored in 29 games in the postseason in his career.
But as they say...you have to be in it to win it...
Well, yeah. How he ended up on this team is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but this is spring training, right?
ReplyDeleteExactly who has he hit these portentous home runs against?
It's batting practice, and I'm not going to get excited about something that doesn't actually count.
Let's talk about this in five months, but for now, I refuse to get sucked in.
We get our hopes up only to get crushed like a nerd on a blind date with a hottie.
----> opening day for all teams (Seoul Series aside) on March 28th <----
ReplyDeleteWhich team will Blake Ashton Snell and Jordan Blackmon Montgomery be playing for when the season opens?
(asking for the old guy across the street sitting in his front yard picking his teeth)
I bet he’s hit 60HRs in batting practice off of this great staff.
ReplyDeleteSSS, but yes I am so impressed by Soto’s approach at the plate. Very locked in, supreme patience, when he sees a pitch he likes he pounces on it. Sure, this could be for one year only but if he has a magnificent year and Steinway fails to extend him he will be absolutely crucified by the media and fans, forced to sail the seven seas in his golden yacht adrift, alone, like The Man Without a Country".
ReplyDeleteI can't get no satisfaction....
ReplyDeleteEvery time Soto does something on a Yankee uniform it reminds me of Randy Quaid gushing about Parkman in Major League 2, just to see him get traded away mid season
ReplyDeleteCannot be emphasized enough:
ReplyDeleteAs for Giancarlo? Well, if he can't hit in this lineup, he's probably done.
I won't even mention the fly ball in the corner, today that he got his glove on but failed to catch.
ReplyDeleteAs long as defense is never part of the equation, I share your excitement and optimism.