All of 19 years old, Washington Nationals rookie outfielder Juan Soto is doing things on the baseball diamond that we have not seen in years.
Friday evening against the Miami Marlins and starting pitcher Pablo Lopez, Soto drove this second inning pitch into the upper deck above the right field fence. It represented the Dominican’s 13th homer of the season, tying him for sixth on the all-time list among teenagers.
With his 13th HR, Juan Soto has tied Mickey Mantle for the 6th most HRs as a teenager in @MLB history. pic.twitter.com/z4N5YkcHDu
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 27, 2018
Yes, that’s Soto being mentioned in the same breath as New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle. As a rookie for the Bronx Bombers back in 1951, a then 19-year-old Mantle hit 13 homers and drove in 65 runs in 96 games.
Soto entered Friday’s action having hit 12 homers with 33 RBI while posting a stellar .308 average in 57 games. The teenager doesn’t turn 20 until late October.