Nationals’ Juan Soto Wins 2022 Home Run Derby
What a whirlwind week it’s been for Juan Soto.
Amidst his uncertain future, Soto participated in this year’s home run derby in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on Monday, and put on a prolific display of power for those in attendance, outlasting everyone in the eight-slugger competition.
Up first was an opening-round battle with Guardians’ José Ramírez, who clubbed 17 home runs. Soto, however, bested him by hitting 18 round-trippers before his time expired, advancing him to the second round.
Then, the 23-year-old was tasked with taking on veteran Albert Pujols, who shockingly ousted Kyle Schwarber in a swing-off during the first round. Unfortunately, the 42-year-old’s heartwarming story didn’t continue any further as his 15 home runs weren’t enough to defeat Soto, who crushed 16 to punch his ticket to the championship round.
There he faced off against young phenom Julio Rodríguez, who outdueled reigning champion Pete Alonso in the previous round. The current AL Rookie of the Year favourite had hit 63 long balls across the first two rounds, yet, he remained the underdog in the final.
In the end, Soto proved victorious over Rodríguez, finishing with 16 home runs as the final buzzer sounded. As time expired, the left-hander capped off his performance with a celebratory bat flip.
At 23, Soto is the second-youngest player to win the home run derby, behind Juan González, who defeated Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. in the final round of the 1993 event.
Fittingly, Soto has put himself back into the spotlight following what was a very intriguing last few days leading up to the All-Star break.
The superstar outfielder came into this week as one of the hottest conversation topics as a recent report revealed he turned down a 15-year, $440-million contract extension from the Washington Nationals. This isn’t the first time he’s reportedly declined an offer, either.
Prior to MLB’s lockout, Soto rejected the club’s 13-year, $350-million offer, according to ESPN Deportes’ Enrique Rojas. In June, general manager Mike Rizzo was adamant about not trading his franchise icon, however, those intentions appear to have changed.
The Nationals are now reportedly willing to listen to trade offers on the 6’2” outfielder, although acquiring him won’t come cheap. It’ll likely require a massive haul of prospects to pry him away from Washington.
Soto, who’s eligible for free agency after the 2024 season, has quickly emerged as the biggest name available as the trade deadline nears, which falls on August 2. While his overall results are down this season, at least by his standards, he remains one of the best hitters in baseball.
Across five big-league seasons, the lefty has posted 118 home runs, 355 RBIs and a .293/.427/.541 slash line through 555 career games. He also owns a 155 wRC+ score and a 21.4 fWAR rating.
With Soto on the trading block, all 29 other franchises should be doing everything possible to acquire the two-time All-Star’s services. They’d be foolish not to explore that avenue. And it appears as though more than a few players at the All-Star game were already lobbying for Soto to join their squads for the homestretch, including Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk.
But for now, Soto can celebrate his latest victory as the reigning home run derby champion. What comes next is anyone’s guess.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.