Juan Soto’s role in the New York Yankees hot start to the 2024 MLB season has not just been on the field, but the 25-year-old is already having a major influence in the locker room as a new team leader.
Yankees fans enter the MLB games today feeling really good about their team this season. Not only have they gotten off to a 5-0 start but it is all the more sweeter because their first four victories in the MLB standings came in a four-game road sweep of bitter rivals the Houston Astros.
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- Juan Soto contract: 1 year, $31 million (Arbitration)
While several players deserve a lot of credit for the red-hot start, two of the most prominent are Juan Soto and Oswaldo Cabrera. The three-time All-Star they landed in a blockbuster trade this offseason has been everything fans hoped for and more, while Cabrera has bounced back in a major way from a rough sophomore season in 2023.
What makes the former star prospect’s start all the more fascinating is the role Soto apparently played in it. Late last week, The Atheltic revealed that the young All-Star was pivotal in Cabrera’s strong spring training performance after taking on a leadership role already just a few months into his tenure with the organization.
“Cabrera calls Soto the New York Yankees’ ‘Latin Leader’ because of the star’s ability to speak both English and Spanish,” the outlet reported. “In spring, Cabrera, shortstop Oswald Peraza, and outfielder Everson Pereira would be in Soto’s presence near the cage to soak up every bit of knowledge of how he maneuvered his bat through the strike zone.
“When Soto would finish his round of batting practice, he’d demonstrate, like a teacher in front of the classroom, how he moves his bat through the zone.”
Cabrera added a toe tap to his approach at the plate and the team believes it played a key role in his outstanding showing at the plate over the last few months. However, Soto’s successful strategy at the dish also opened the young talent’s mind to finding ways to improve his game after being on the verge of starting the 2024 season in Triple-A.
Furthermore, along with Soto’s play this season, his fiery temperament on the field — a departure from the style of captain Aaron Judge — has seemingly been passed on to other teammates and at least to start the season, the 2024 New York Yankees have a sort of edge that they lacked the last few years. In just a few months, the outfielder has been even better than advertised for his new team.
- Juan Soto stats (2024): .450 AVG, .560 OBP, .650 SLG, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R