"He is mature beyond his age" - When Mike Rizzo praised 19-year-old Juan Soto after promoting him to big leagues
In 2015, Juan Soto signed his big league contract with the Washington Nationals as an international free agent. He made his professional debut in 2016 in the Gulf Coast League and quickly turned heads.
He was great in the minors and by 2018, Soto had become not just the Nationals' top prospect, but one of the top prospects in all of baseball. While he started that season in the minors, it was apparent he was headed to the big leagues and fast.
Soto would then be called up to make his big-league debut on May 20, being one of the youngest players to make their debuts. Washington's GM Mike Rizzo explained his decision to bring up Soto at such a young age.
"We think that he's ready to take the next step and the next challenge even after a very short stint in Double-A. We felt, because of the circumstances, because of the talent level that he's earned a promotion here," Rizzo said.
While it can be a real gamble to bring up a player so early, Rizzo felt Soto was ready to take the next step. From what he showed the front office in the minors, they felt the time was right.
"We love the kid's makeup, he's a great teammate, he's a very mature player at 19-years-old. He's taken to all the levels we have him at this year. We feel that although there will be a learning curve at the big-league level, he should help us win games here in the big leagues" Rizzo said.
Rizzo also hailed Soto's mental preparation before games, which the Nationals manager felt gave the Dominican maturity beyond his age.
"His [Soto] pregame preparation is a lot different than the young players I've been around. He's got a great routine. Offensively, he prepares himself. Defensively, too. To be ready to play and I just think that the mental aspect of him is he is mature beyond his chronological age," Rizzo said.
Juan Soto has not looked back since making his professional debut
In Juan Soto's first season in the big leagues with the Washington Nationals, he held his own. Over the course of 116 games, he hit .292/.406/.517 with 22 home runs and 70 runs batted in.
Soto would be a big reason for Washington's success in 2019 when they won their first and only World Series title. He would stay in Washington until being traded in 2022 to the San Diego Padres.
He would spend two seasons in San Diego until being traded to the New York Yankees ahead of this season. He is in the Bronx working on a one-year deal until he becomes a free agent.
Soto has worked his way to being one of the most sought-after players and will be plenty busy once this season ends.