Juan Soto made his New York Yankees spring training debut on Sunday in a home game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He made sure to make a good first impression, too.
Soto, who walked and grounded out in his first two trips to the plate, gave the fans in attendance something to remember in plate appearance No. 3. That came in the fourth inning, when he stepped to the dish against Toronto right-hander Trevor Richards with two runners on base and two outs in the frame.
Soto worked a 1-0 count before unleashing on an elevated fastball. You read the headline, you know where this is going. The same was true for Soto and the baseball as he watched it sail toward (and then off) the large scoreboard in left-center field. Observe for yourself below thanks to the modern miracles of the internet and the motion picture:
Soto to the Scoreboard 🚀 pic.twitter.com/bzXOotxBik
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) February 25, 2024
According to Statcast, Soto's home run left the bat traveling at 110.1 mph. It carried an estimated 428 feet, which would have made it a home run in all 30 MLB ballparks.
Soto is, of course, entering his walk year. The Yankees obtained him as part of a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres back in December. The Yankees also added veteran outfielder Trent Grisham in that deal, while relinquishing pitchers Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Michael King, and Randy Vásquez, as well as backstop Kyle Higashioka.
Soto, 25, is on a Hall of Fame trajectory through his first six MLB seasons. He'll enter the regular season with career marks that include a .284/.421/.524 (157 OPS+) slash line, 160 home runs, and 28.6 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's estimates.
Soto and the Yankees will begin the regular season on the road in Houston against the Astros on March 28.
