Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Juan Soto has already rubbed shoulders with some impressive company in his rookie year. On Tuesday, the Washington Nationals rookie did it again.
In the second inning, Soto drew a walk. That walk gave him more free passes than any teenager since 1900, passing Hall of Famer Mel Ott on the all-time list.
This is hardly the first time that Soto has done something of this magnitude in 2018.
Soto entered Tuesday’s game hitting .302 and slugging at .517. If he finishes above .300 and .500, he’ll join Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to do that as a teenager. He’s moved his way up the home runs for a teenager list, passing baseball royalty like Mickey Mantle along the way. Soto also reached base five times in a game earlier in the season, becoming the youngest player to do that since another Hall of Famer, Robin Yount.
Obviously, Soto has a long way to go before we can stack his career up with the likes of Ott, Griffey, Mantle, or Yount. But he’s certainly off to a good start.