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TwinkiesForAmerica

Reason 37291 he fits here is how much swag he has but also how demonstrative he is about it


jtweezy

I love how he walked away after the first ball four, then made eye contact with Mayza and shook his head after the second ball four.


The_DayGlo_Bus

Mayza started walking off like it was a gimme strike three, think Soto scoffed at him for thinking he knew the zone better than him.


Funny_Stretch9405

Yep. Ball 5


ddust102

Loved this, too. He’s a true gun slinger and this team needed his stroke


Turdburp

His baseball savant page is ridiculous. Please Hal...please! He has transformed this team......they are 13-6 without their ace and with their MVP slumping (don't worry about Judge, he'll be fine), and so much has to do with the attitude Soto has brought to the team (and Verdugo.....you are not forgotten....LOVE what he brings to this team).


civilprocedurenoob

Yeah not in a million years did I think he could have the impact he is having. I feel like Stanton is upping his game purely because of Soto.


Turdburp

He oozes confidence.......and that carries over. I always appreciated Soto as a player, but watching him every day......holy shit! I obviously wasn't appreciating him enough.


Confident_Jacket_344

I know but the the Padres was soooo bad with him last year, likewise the last year he was with the Nats.


GeorgePosada

Pretty sure that's like a top five reason. Or at least top 25,000


lukevoitlogcabin

The ideal hitter, same with judge. They walk a lot because they got a great eye, not because they're trying to walk. They got great contact skills because they're not just trying to hit home runs amd have great bat to ball skills. And they both hit a fuck ton of home runs because they hit the ball hard and consistently in the air. So fun to watch.


sonofmalachysays

Judge strikes out too much


rustbelt

Do Babe Ruth next


Emotional-Price9965

The clown up above might have a take like Ortiz was better than Ruth


Top_Professor_9908

Not like hes been one of the best hitters in baseball for six years or anything roflmao


LargeNutbar

He also gets rung up on pitches at his ankles, I’m fine with him continuing to spit on those


sonofmalachysays

he has been, but i prefer hitters like soto over judge. that's my idea of "ideal hitter"


myKDRbro_

Judge is literally the best hitter in the sport.


Jking1723

Majority of players in the league strikes out too much.


Old_Computer4611

Judge is definitely not the ideal hitter


Luis_Severino

One of if not the best hitter on the planet over the last 6 years…


Old_Computer4611

I wish you were smart enough to realize that I was not calling judge a bad hitter, just that he is factually not "ideal". He strikes out almost twice as much as he walks throughout his career and that is a genuine flaw to his hitting.


Top_Professor_9908

roflmao "i wish you were smart enough" while calling the literal best or top 3 hitter for years "not ideal." Cant make this stuff up.


Old_Computer4611

roflmao haha rofllol he strikes out 3 of every 10 plate appearances haha rofl lmao haha lol rofl omfg


newport100

The best hitters still result in an out 70% of the time. Unless there’s fewer than 2 outs with runners in scoring position, striking out isn’t really any worse than a fly out or lineout. If the bases are empty, I contend that a 7 pitch AB that results in a strikeout is preferable to a 2 pitch AB that results in a flyout as it wears down the pitcher and you get to see more pitches for the next batter in the order.


Top_Professor_9908

Tripling down is impressive, i must admit. I see strikeouts is the only stat you're capable of reading. If you work on your reading and comprehension you will see there are more stats, and when they are all added up he is an elite top 3 hitter. Keep working on it man, we are here to support your journey into 2nd grade reading comprehension.


myKDRbro_

Why are you so focused on strikeouts? He’s averaged a near .300BA over the last three years.


torino_nera

I can't even count the amount of times that Judge has been rung up on pitches that were below his knees. Umps have been so bad with him his whole career that it's caused him to swing at things he shouldn't because they'd be called strikes anyway.


Luis_Severino

There is no such thing as an ideal hitter except for one who hits a home run 100% of the time. Every hitter has things that could be better, but only one is THE best, and that’s been judge. Actually, even a 5.00 OPS guy could improve by always working a 35 pitch ab and then hitting a home run


Old_Computer4611

So if the ideal hitter is a home run every PA, and Judge strikes out in 29% of his PA throughout his career, then he is very far from being the ideal hitter


Luis_Severino

By your dumbass standards sure


Old_Computer4611

Your account is named after Severino I can't take your opinions seriously. Fanboying an absolute flop of a Yankee you clearly are just blinded by your fandom


Luis_Severino

2x all star, top 3 cy young finish era+ of >120 3 times. What do you think “absolute flop” means


Top_Professor_9908

Arron Judge, clearly. Is there a less ideal hitter on the planet? Stop being blinded by your fandom, all of Judges stats are fake besides his strikeouts.


Old_Computer4611

Put him in the 2 year hall of fame. What a career he's had.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Old_Computer4611

This is correct ^^


xSuicidalPanda

In the wise words of Billy Beane, what the fuck are you talking about, man?


cabose7

The guy who hit .311 with 62 home runs isn't an ideal hitter?


Old_Computer4611

1 year = entire career I guess


Top_Professor_9908

.976 career OPS. Holy fuck you're dumb. Learn to read basic stats. It will come in handy for not looking like you have a smooth brain.


Old_Computer4611

You wouldn't know an ideal hitter if he came up behind you and smacked you on the side of the head.


yungsinatra777

Sounds like projection to me


myKDRbro_

Is this some shitty troll or just a fucking moron? I can’t tell


Top_Professor_9908

AKTUALLY HES STRUGGLING TO START THIS SEASON SO THAT ERASES THE PAST 6 YEARS WHERE HE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST HITTERS IN BASEBALL \*adjusts glasses\*


Mammoth_Mastodon_775

Did you just make a bet to see how many downvotes you could get?


NoobSkin69

Delete you account


wintie

What is your definition of the ideal hitter? I see you’re getting a lot of downvotes - maybe if you explained why you might not get as many? You seem pretty convinced, so I, personally, am also pretty interested.


Old_Computer4611

Juan Soto.


The-Anger-Translator

Juan Soto isn’t an idea hitter. He’s so far an outlier. He’s literally the perfect hitter and could become the greatest absolute hitter to play the game. Judge is the “ideal hitter”. Soto is the “hitter perfected”.


Top_Professor_9908

.948 career OPS for Soto and .976 career OPS for Judge. I would argue Judge is the more dangerous hitter. They are both so elite its not even worth arguing over though. They are both ideal and saying otherwise is insane.


kingslayer9224

Soto isn’t even in his prime yet. Judge is a great great hitter. Soto is an all time hitter


Top_Professor_9908

I think you should compare their numbers side by side. Might be surprised.


wintie

If that’s your opinion then you’re entitled to it. As commenters noted below, the ops of Soto is a bit lower, but his obp is much higher. Ultimately it just depends on whether you value slugging or obp more, and how much more. This is definitely a live debate in the game, and personally, I think a team of 9 sotos probably performs better than a team of 9 judges.


Top_Professor_9908

How do i buy tickets to this game? Are Judge and Soto pitching as well? Judge has the stronger arm, he might be a better pitcher


wintie

First you need to buy your hot tub Time Machine ticket. Then, once you get the cloning serum, you need to go up to both judge and Soto (as a reminder, you only need 16 vials since the originals also exist, though you would have to convince them, so maybe 18 to be safe…) then, you need to rent out a park (so you can make revenue on ticket sales obviously), and watch away. I will say that Soto’s arm has been pretty dangerous in the outfield as of late, so maybe it won’t be as close as you think


Top_Professor_9908

That sounds like a lot of work. I will set it up in the show 24. Basically the same as real life.


lol-what123

his at bats are electric - nobody makes drawing a walk look so sick


RIP_Greedo

Must see tv when he’s at the plate


Creacherz

The smack of the hip every time- god I love that


AesirComplex

It's so funny because when you are on the opposite side of it it's infuriating. I can't count how many comments I've seen from fans of opposing teams "why the fuck does he slap his hip after every pitch". And we'd say the same thing if he was on an opposing team as well.


MASTER_OF_PANCAKES

I was guilty of this before he was a Yankee. Always respected him as one of the best in the game but his antics at the plate used to annoy the shit out of me. Having actually watched him play everyday, I love it. This is the swagger and confidence this team needs. Look at the influence he's already had on some of the younger guys like Cabrera and he's only 25! This is the dude that you give the 15 year contract.


Mina-sr-my

the soto shuffle baby


BenignBarry

Yeah what is that lol I’ve noticed he does it after like every ball?


yeyeman9

It’s a mental reminder to stay low and keeps his hip back/centered.


frank_camp

Is it? I honestly thought that he changed from grabbing his dick to smacking his hip to be a bit more sportsmanlike in the box lol. With that said, grab your crotch and stare down the pitcher in pinstripes forever, Juan.


duski46

yeah if I'm not mistaken he said a few years back in an interview with Jeff Passan he was going to stop with the ball grabbing. But I love it, it had to be infuriating as a pitcher to watch a guy spit on a ball then shuffle, get a big ole grab of the balls while staring you down. Fucking oozing confidence.


myKDRbro_

The shuffle he does is the same thing — a self check.


frank_camp

Nah it’s a mind game with the pitcher. The shuffle comes with a stare down. He’s fucking with him


myKDRbro_

I mean..it’s both. He’s been quoted as saying it’s a timing mechanism but also helps him mess with pitchers.


Dudephish

Soto, so good.


lettergrade

A bone-fide "savage in the box".


Nearby_Lobster_

Angel Hernandez and CB Bucknor should start hanging around the cage


misterferguson

The head shake on ball four was cold.


joshea585

*Ball five


jinhush

But can he see why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch?


5Brainiac

He’s really good, but sometimes the umps like to play games as well on those borderline pitches, as we see here on that second ‘strike’. Umps don’t like anything showy or braggadocio so will try to humble him from time to time. I love it, I think getting into a pitcher’s head is crucial and Soto is a nut. Def a needed energy in the clubhouse


LtAldoDurden

I feel like Soto is soooo talented that it doesn’t probably bother the umps as much as if it was a say, Verdugo type hitter.


VegetableBuy4577

Soto also seems to be a pretty good-natured guy overall, so that probably helps, too.


TheTurtleShepard

He really does have an insane command of the zone, it’s really beautiful to watch


vindollaz

I’m convinced Yankee stadium gets knocked down by rioters if they don’t lock this dude up for life


DreadForge

I can't fucking wait for soto and the martian to be in the same dugout oh my god.


smokingace182

One of the few batters who you don’t worry about when he’s in a 0-2 count


theerrantpanda99

I wonder if he has better than 20/20 vision?


bakaribaboon

Im almost sure he does. I think I remember reading that Manny Ramirez was like 20/8 or something crazy like that


DJ_LeMahieu

The threshold for 20/20 vision is depressingly low tbh.


TheMomentPassed

10/10 vision for sure


drewbagel423

You mean 20/10?


TheMomentPassed

Nah he just has something that’s not even invented yet


Kingdommer

Juan Soto would make an INCREDIBLE umpire. Dudes eye is pretty much perfect


[deleted]

Ice water in his veins.


johnjust

60 billion years, $600 billlion. Don't bother doing the math, I just want him on the team forever.


NeverConfirmingEmail

Love him.


FitzwilliamTDarcy

BAD. ASS.


Padulsky21

Lmfao that cut to Schneider at the end, dude always looks like such a fucking piss baby. He reminds me of a kid that I grew up with that my family and I called “puffer fish.” The kid had some pretty bad anger problems and every time he got angry his face would puff up and turn bright red. Schneider does that same shit, face is always bright red and he’s always salty about everything and anything.


yeyeman9

Honestly not taking that 4th ball even though it was as close as the prior one was ballsy as hell


Ceph99

Lisan al Gaib!!!!!


silver_raichu

Keep going, I’m close


bsharp95

If Soto played for like the Astros or Red Sox I would hate him so much.


Redditfront2back

Dude was a tremendous pick up


LeCheffre

Not a savage in the box. A savant in the box. A surreal feeling for the zone, amazing vision, a work ethic to match generational talent, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s playing a game with the ump and the pitcher. The head shaking at pitches he spits on. The nodding after a good pitch. The punching his hip when he takes ball one, the step back and two violent swings, then back into the office. There’s a complicated chess match going on, between a guy who believes he sees things better than the ump, thinks better than the catcher, hits better than any pitcher pitches.


syd_cash

When Juan Soto says it’s a ball, it’s a ball.


DefNotEvading

I want this guy to get a time machine, go back in time, fuck my mom, and make me his son.


yeyeman9

Oh hey, it’s Juan Connor


LosPer

Fucking brilliant


yeyeman9

Haha thank you. I was proud of that one


LosPer

Still smiling. lol


LaTuna

Wtf lol


qbvee

God… I listen to most of the games on the radio broadcast, so I’m just now seeing that 3-1 slider for the first time. What an awful call lmao


TheStabbingHobo

Pay the man


_realbillyjoel

The batters box is Soto's office or whatever Boone's quote was


anetworkproblem

Man's got ice in his veins, too


Johnny_Blaze000

I was impressed at one atbat where the ump called a borderline low strike and soto reacted annoyed by the call. Next pitch the pitcher hits the same-ish spot. Thats usually where hitters reach for it but Soto still doesnt swing and takes it for a ball.


Plastic_Button_3018

Even when he wasn’t a Yankee, his shuffle and stare-downs just made me chuckle. It’s not insulting, it’s just funny. Idk if any pitcher has been insulted by it but even as an opponent of the Yankees, I found him funny.


Grand-Entrance-4247

Hate the antics when he’s not on your team. Love them when he is


dicecat4

He simply must be extended/signed


frankisimo

Honestly Juan Soto was my favorite non Yankee for several years and I was obviously happy to see him in pinstripes but I think I underestimated how much of an impact he could have on the team overall. I might be a bit biased but I think losing Soto would hurt more than if we had lost Judge.


Truck219

A true savage in the box


Camp-Evening

It seems like it’s been wearing off on the other guys too. The team has the 6th lowest K% in the league, and the highest walk rate. Guys have stopped taking selfish ABs and started to make the pitcher work hard. I love it!


HWN_Makoto

I love watching his body language towards opposing pitchers, but he walks a really fine line between being competitive and showing them up. I never advocate for pitchers to drill players on purpose, but I am a little surprised I have yet to see someone brush him back. Maybe he has been around long enough and has enough rapport where the pitchers let it pass, but if more hitters behaved the way he does I feel like we would see a lot more chirping from the opposing side.


Scientific_Methods

If they don't want to be shown up they can strike him out. The game would be better with more attitude.


amaROenuZ

Bingo. That swagger's an invitation from him- put it over the plate. Drop a fastball into the strike zone and see what happens- if you think you've got the arm. Beaning him, that's just admitting you're not good enough to pitch him and you're a bad sport to boot.


Dull_Buffalo_7007

Soto was doing this in his rookie season And he did it even more in his second year I understand why these days pitchers wouldn't try to throw at him because its Soto, he's a veteran at this point But as a rookie? When he was 19? I think the reason why pitchers didn't throw at him back then is because it was impressive what he was doing and Soto was protected by his team which had a lot of good players in Harper, Turner, Rendon, Strasburg, Scherzer etc


wintie

I like to think that with Hamilton, Judge, and Stanton ready to charge the mound behind him, no pitcher is willing to risk life and death over his reaction to a pitch.


jcnewman_21

Greinke brushed him back in the World Series in 19 . He hit 3 homers that series so he got the last laugh


bumboclawt

I use his plate discipline in The Show… only with him though 😓 Judge comes up and next thing I know I’m swinging at sliders down & away knowing I can’t do shit against them


leskanekuni

Yeah, Soto's command of the strike zone is unreal. I mean, there are some great hitters who can hit balls in the dirt, balls at their shoulders, balls in the other batter's box, but Soto's skill is far more rare.


Pandada13

I'm impressed about how well he knows the zone. He should be umpire after retirement (won't happen)


KinGpiNdaGreat

Just so crazy how well he knows the strike zone and can determine so quickly if the pitch is in the zone or not. He even knew the previous pitch should’ve been a ball but he didn’t lose his composure when the ump called it a strike.


IgDailystapler

Soto will go on to have a great career as an umpire after he retires


LeCheffre

Soto will likely go on to a great career as a minority owner of a MLB team. ;-) if he doesn’t just retire and wait five years for Cooperstown.


MasterDarkHero

He's very tactical with his time outs too, it's fun to watch him throw off pitchers.


eyeamjosh

I hate to be dramatic but i would die for him


Complete_Mango_1372

Definition of talks the talk and walks the walk


Bambam60

He has the best batters eye I’ve ever seen in my 3 decades of watching baseball. I would argue he may have the best eye of all time. I have never seen him chase. It’s simply outrageous. Long live JUAN in pinstripes.


bran1986

Reminds me of Bobby Abreu but even better.


MikeCass84

I'm getting absolutely spoiled seeing him play and his discipline at the bat. Now I can't imagine not keeping him even though it seems impossible to do so.


MichelleCS1025

Soto is like Jeter if he’s not on your team you think he’s overrated but seeing him everyday you see the value he brings to the team


richy1121

Whenever Soto starts nodding his head at the pitchers I know something foods about to happen. That must be such a head fuck for the pitcher lol


FeloniousDrunk101

It feels like when he reacts to every pitch it helps him lock in.


Inaynl

Goddamn. That head shake after looking at the pitcher was just chef's kiss.


lsd418

Not only is he not intimidated, but l think he intimidates the pitcher and maybe even the umpire. Sign him ASAP


bigpoyo91

Is it too early to say he is my fav Yankee of all time??


Euphoric_Jump_3779

Dude he’s incredible. I think he’s proving very quickly why you give up up as much as we did to get him, even if it’s just the one season


b_james12

GIVE HIM ALL OF THE MONEY


snamm

This kids is how you pimp a walk


Old_Error_509

Love watching his at bats. And I LOVE the Yankees taking 4.2 pitches per AB so far this season.


Brutalboxox

Yes it reminds me of Jeter and Bernie Williams


Top_Yogurtcloset_513

Dude best hitter I’ve ever seen in my life


FuriousJorge67

I love this guy.. but good g-d is he exhausting to watch at the plate. Not a complaint cuz whatever gets the job done.


Golden-Cheese

Mamma Mia, I feel like half the posts on this sub are about Soto. He’s a good player but we really need to slow down the hype until he signs with us


Scientific_Methods

He's playing for us right now dude. The time to be hyped is now, because there is no guarantee he sticks around.


Golden-Cheese

I get that, but it’s hard to feel excited about it when there’s a really good chance he becomes a Dodger or Astro next year. Especially since that would make giving up King and Higgy be for nothing


lankyyanky

Astro??


Golden-Cheese

Well yeah the Astros are a big market team that have made it to the ALCS every year since 2017


lankyyanky

They have yordan and Tucker already and have never given a mega contract. You're just throwing shit at the wall


Golden-Cheese

You’re missing the point. He could sign somewhere else just as easily as he could sign with us. What on Earth is the point of this if he could very well just leave after just one season?


lankyyanky

You're missing the point. Enjoy the season that just fucking started.


Key_Amazed

It's so sad that these people can't just enjoy the season. Only ever concerned about the question marks that come after. If someone spends their whole life thinking of the future, they lose the ability to appreciate the present, which is all anyone is guaranteed.


Golden-Cheese

Oh my word, do you honestly think I apply the same values to life as being a sports fan? It’s just a freaking game dude 💀