MLB
“Juan Soto reminds me of Barry Bonds” - Yankees GM Aaron Boone
Aaron Boone praised Juan Soto’s natural ability and attitude and points out that he has not yet demonstrated his full potential in the MLB.
Dominican player Juan Soto was at the center of one of the big offseason moves in Major League Baseball when he joined the New York Yankees from the San Diego Padres. The offensive power that the 25-year-old outfielder has shown is not in doubt, in his last campaign he left an average of .275/.410/.519, with 32 doubles, 35 home runs, 109 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and 132 walks, leading the National League and picked up his fourth Silver Slugger award.
Juan Soto: Vision, approach and natural talent
This week, during the player’s first day at Yankees’ spring training, general manager Aaron Boone compared Soto’s talent to the legendary Barry Bonds, who has been considered one of the most effective hitters, despite being involved in the use of steroids. Boone agreed that Soto has good eyes, a good approach and above all, natural talent.
“He reminds me of Barry Bonds. Boone continued. “I think you’re certainly blessed with that and there’s probably a DNA portion of that - a God-given ability to some of that. But, it’s also... I think you can absolutely move the needle and become better and better as you evolve in your career. He’s a very young man still and that’s something he’s had from Jump Street, the big leagues. Y’know, he’s about as talented a hitter as you’ll see. And a big part of that is his ability to control the zone. But I think it’s nuance - some people have it, some people don’t. But to say you can’t move the needle and get better at it is not right either”.
Boone also praised his conditions and points out that he has not yet shown his full potential in the MLB. “I think he has a lot more to give. I don’t think he’s reached his full potential. I can put him anywhere in the lineup and hope he feels comfortable. I feel that it will be solid, as it has always been,” he added.
At 25, as Boone points out, Soto has many years ahead of him and time to match or surpass Bonds’ figures. Looking at how the stats stack up right now, there batting average is similar (Bonds: 0.298, Soto: 0.283) but Bonds, who played 22 years in MLB is understandably ahead in runs (2,227 compared to Soto’s 520) and home runs (762 comnpared to Soto’s 157).