"He's the closest thing I've seen to Barry Bonds" - Ex-Phillies MVP compares Yankees' Juan Soto to legendary 7x NL MVP
New York Yankees' Juan Soto was placed in illustrious company as an MLB expert compared the Yankees' number 22 to seven-time NL MVP Barry Bonds, one of the best hitters in major league history. On the latest edition of "The 6-11 Podcast," former Philadelphia Phillies MVP Jimmy Rollins talked about how the Dominican reminds him of Bonds:
"If I could come back today as a hitter, I think I would want to be Juan Soto. He doesn't miss. He's the closest thing I've seen to Barry Bonds.
"He can hit you out anywhere. He doesn't swing and miss. When he does swing, he rarely misses. I remember Barry would go through a season where he'd go 20 straight games before he swung and missed, but when he swung his decision was seemingly right. I see that in Juan Soto." (Timestamp: 59:38)
In the ongoing MLB season, Soto has a .305 average, 79 RBIs and 28 home runs. Rollins further commented on the slugger's swing:
"When I see Soto, I see an absolutely beautiful swing. We talk about Ted Williams having the perfect swing, I think Juan Soto has embodied that, but with the power that can match any major league hitter in the history of baseball." (Timestamp: 1:00:19)
In an MLB career that spanned 22 seasons, Bonds represented the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants. He received a record seven National League MVP awards, 12 Silver Slugger awards and 14 All-Star call-ups. Bonds also has the record for the most home runs in a single season, going yard 73 times in 2001.
Juan Soto hits 28th home run, continues career-best season
Juan Soto hit it out of the park for the 28th time this campaign, in the New York Yankees' 4-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays last Sunday. With the game tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the 7th inning, the Dominican gave the home team the lead with a blast to left field that bobbled off the wall and dropped out.
The run proved to be crucial, as the Blue Jays tied the game before the Bronx Bombers walked it off in the 10th inning.
For their next game, Soto and the Yankees will take on the Texas Rangers in a doubleheader on Saturday as they continue their home stand. With the Baltimore Orioles winning yesterday, the onus will be on New York to retake the top spot by the end of the day, as two of this season's strongest sides continue to wrestle for the AL East crown.