Aaron Judge showed why he’s the frontrunner for this year’s AL MVP award after bashing his 46th and 47th home runs this season in the New York Yankees’ 8-1 battering of the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night. Yet, Juan Soto’s performance at the plate was just as captivating and strong enough to command Judge’s attention.
Soto’s performances over the past two games against the Guardians served as a reminder of how special of a talent he is in Major League Baseball. Just ask Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who after Wednesday’s victory put into perspective how Soto is still only scratching the surface of his potential.
“He’s 25. He’s still in a lot of ways in the early stages of his career,” Boone told reporters in the postgame news conference. “Which is remarkable for as much experience as he has. This guy is still growing and learning and developing. I think it doesn’t hurt having Aaron [Judge] behind him, but I think this is just a byproduct of how great of a hitter he is. I don’t think he’s focused necessarily on hitting a certain number of home runs. You see a guy who is obsessed with having a good at-bat, and he lives that every day.”
In the first of the three-game series against Cleveland, Soto homered to the short porch in right field in his first at-bat. In the Yankees’ win Wednesday, he homered again in his first trip to the plate, this one a two-run, 427-foot shot to deep center field. That homer marked a career-high 36 for him on the season. He had reached his previous career high of 35 last season with the San Diego Padres.
“I’ve been putting a lot of work into this year,” Soto told reporters after the game. “I’m more than happy to see the results and everything, and try to help the team as much as I can.”
While the career best in homers will certainly be a highlight of Soto’s MVP-caliber season, that wasn’t necessarily the goal for him coming into this year with the Yankees.
“[The goal was] definitely be more consistent,” Soto said. “Don’t have that many ups and downs throughout the year. Try to be in the same line the whole year.”
With the bases loaded, Soto cleared the bags on a double, giving him a single-game season-high tying five RBI on the evening.
Judge, who is the oddsmakers’ favorite to win his second AL MVP award, has been hitting just as hard as Soto over the past two games. During this series, Judge has three home runs. Yet, Soto commands his attention while standing in the on-deck circle.
“It’s fun for me because you see the crowd getting into it They’re in on every single pitch. He’s fouling off tough pitches. He’s having great at-bat after great at-bat,” Judge said. “It’s fun. We’re lucky to have him and we gotta keep pushing to the end here.”
After another solid outing by Soto, Judge called out how “consistent” he is as to why he admires the star so much.
“He uses the whole field. Doesn’t matter if it’s two strikes, doesn’t matter if it’s bases loaded, big spot or just runner on first in the first inning. He treats every at-bat the same,” Judge said. “Same intensity, same focus. I think that’s what’s been fun for me to watch. Just his level of focus throughout the game and throughout the season.”
Similarly, Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, who had a great game himself going seven innings without giving up a run, believes that being able to watch Soto up close gave him a different appreciation for his greatness.
“Watching him from afar, it’s impressive because you know how good of a player he is. But watching him in here prepare every single day, I think that’s what stands out for me the most, the way he prepares,” Cortes said. “People forget, he’s 25 years old. It’s pretty impressive what he’s doing, what he’s done his whole career and I’m sure he’s going to do very well moving forward.
“But like I said, being 25 and being that prepared, and just knowing what type of pitch he likes to hit all the time. Doesn’t matter if it’s to left center, right center, or right field, he’s going to hit the ball hard.”
Source Agencies
