Juan Soto (New York Yankees) hits back-to-back home runs in a Major League Baseball exhibition game. Soto, who is eligible for free agency at the end of the season, has set out to raise his price tag.
Soto started in right field at No. 2 against the Detroit Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday.
Soto hit a solo home run over the right-center field wall off Detroit starter Matt Manning in the bottom of the first inning. The home run tied the game at 1-1.
He led off the fourth inning with a single to right field against second baseman Casey Mays. In his third at-bat of the sixth inning, 바카라사이트 he lined a single to right field off reliever Alex Rangel to complete his multi-hit game. Soto stole second and was replaced by pinch-hitter Greg Allen to end the game.
He finished the day 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and one RBI. Soto already has three home runs in exhibition play.
Soto made his first appearance in an exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 26th.
With runners on first and second with two outs in the fourth inning and a 4-1 lead, Soto hit a 90.7-mph (about 146 kilometers) fastball from Toronto pitcher Trevor Richard for a three-run homer over the left-center field fence. It was a big home run that traveled 130.5 meters. Soto finished the day 2-for-4 with one double, one home run, three RBIs and one walk.
On April 2 against the Toronto Blue Jays, Soto also activated the home run gun. He led off the fourth inning with a solo shot over the center field fence off Toronto pitcher Chad Green, going 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, and a walk.
Soto has been hitting well in the exhibition games. In four games, he has recorded a hit in each game. He is 6-for-9 with six doubles and a 6-for-6 slugging percentage. Three of his six hits are home runs. He also has two doubles. He’s also drawn two walks. With a .727 slugging percentage and a 1.889 OPS, he has a whopping 2.616 OPS. It’s a small sample size, but it’s impressive.
Soto made his big league debut in 2018 with the Washington Nationals.
In 116 games in his rookie year at age 19, he batted .292 with 22 doubles, 22 home runs, 70 RBI, 77 runs scored, a .406 slugging percentage, .517 on-base percentage, and .923 OPS, finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Despite his low batting average, Soto’s on-base percentage was in the high teens every year. He drew a lot of walks. In 779 career games through last year, the slugger hit .288 with 160 home runs and 483 RBIs for a .421 slugging percentage and .930 OPS.
Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension offered by Washington in 2022. Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, wanted more. After failing to reach an extension, Washington traded Soto to San Diego at the trade deadline during the 2022 season. After failing to secure Soto on a long-term deal, the team opted to rebuild in exchange for a slew of prospects.
Soto struggled somewhat in San Diego.
He batted just 2-for-3 in 52 games with the Padres in 2022 and finished the season 2-for-4 in 153 games. Soto rebounded last year, playing in all 162 games, 안전 토토사이트 batting .275 with 35 home runs, 109 RBIs, a .410 slugging percentage and a .930 OPS.
Unable to hold onto Soto, the financially strapped San Diego traded him to the New York Yankees in the offseason. Soto is making $31 million this year, the highest salary in the majors outside of free agency and long-term contracts. It’s widely believed that he’ll command $500 million when he hits free agency.