Free-Agent Sweeptakes: MLB’s Best Free Agent Draws Interest from…
The New York Yankees’ 2024 right fielder Juan Soto is officially on the free agent market and the extravaganza has begun. The outfielder will consider various options for his long-term home. With just less than a month before the Winter Meetings, multiple clubs have already reached out.
The 2024 season gave the right fielder a huge platform, especially in a “rental” season. It was also a huge boon for the Yankees, as their test drive of Soto’s tools passed the test.
Some rentals rarely work out for teams, but this one reinforced the need for Soto to represent the Bronx. Unfortunately, the Yankees are not the only ones in the hunt. Whoever gets the privilege of employing Soto will benefit hugely from his impeccable skills and popularity.
Juan Soto Awaiting Huge Payday as Free Agent
Soto’s 2024 Make Him Worthy of Re-Signing
By April, the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium were already chanting the refrain of “re-sign Soto.” The slugger came out the gates hot with plenty of production early, largely thanks to his approach of working long at-bats.
Soto recorded seven home runs, 21 RBI, 29 hits, and 22 walks to end the month of April, a very strong start to his campaign. May was almost a repeat, with a slightly higher batting average of .296 compared to .290 in April.
The 2023 All-Star replicated his accomplishments this season, also being named to the 2024 All-Star team. For the regular season, Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with an OPS of .989.
He recorded 166 hits, 41 home runs, 109 RBI, and a league-leading 128 runs scored over 576 at-bats. Soto found ways to get on base. He walked 129 times and only struck out 110 times. He also recorded 328 total bases.
Soto’s Metrics Illustrate a Valuable Overall Performer
From the left-handed batter’s box, Soto battled with a calculated approach along with athleticism and tools. His strength shone through with his bat speed and aggressiveness. At the plate, the outfielder recorded an average exit velocity of 94.2 mph while his bat speed averaged 75.5 mph. His hard-hit percentage read 57% with a low of 18.3% on his chase percentage. Soto naturally saw more fastballs in his at-bats.
Soto saw 600 more fastballs than breaking pitches, where he recorded 31 home runs and a .335 batting average. Why’s that? Soto displays a level of patience and executes good pitch recognition, forcing pitchers’ hands to serve him a heater within the zone. His walk percentage read 18.1% while his strikeout percentage read 16.7%.
Soto utilized the entire field efficiently, mostly going to the pull side at 42.3%. He went straight away at 35.8% and opposite field at 21.9%. Soto was not only one-sided primarily, but he was gap-to-gap at times.
