Juan Soto just needed to correct his swing, it appeared. The 22-year old Washington Nationals slugger is now lifting the ball when he makes contact and it’s paying off.
Four games into the second half of the season and Soto is off to an historic start. According to ESPN’s Stats and Info, Soto is the first major league player to collect 10 hits and five home runs in his first four games after an All-Star break.
Soto belted two home runs Monday in the Nationals’ 18-1 win over the Miami Marlins. His first came in the first inning when he went opposite field off former Nats pitcher Ross Detwiler for a two-run homer.
Washington built a 15-0 lead. The Marlins seemingly waved the white flag by putting former Nats catcher Sandy Leon in the seventh. Soto came up to the plate with two runners on. In a move that would have Tony La Russa throwing a tantrum, Soto tattooed an 81-mph change-up just over the center field wall for a three-run blast.
Soto finished the night 3-for-4 with one walk, two homers, five runs driven in, and three runs scored.
There’s an old adage that participating in the Home Run Derby messes up a batter’s swing. However, Juan Soto is proving it’s more a myth than a trusted fact.
Last week, he put on a huge display to beat favorite Shohei Ohtani in the Derby before bowing out to eventual champion Pete Alonso. Soto was looking to correct his swing after a shoulder injury hampered him early in the season.
Soto seemingly couldn’t get any lift on his swing, grounding into a league-leading 14 double plays. But swinging away at the Derby has apparently corrected his mechanics in a major way.
He belted 46 home runs at Coors Field and now he is crushing the ball back from the break. Thus far, he is hitting .588 with a 1.588 slugging percentage in 17 at-bats. In doing so, the reigning NL batting champion has rose his slash to .301/.420/.512 on the season.
Maybe Soto’s new approach will get power hitters struggling early in the season to rethink passing on the Home Run Derby?
