Aaron Judge showed why he’s the front-runner for this year’s AL MVP award by bashing his 46th and 47th home runs of the season in the New York Yankees’ 8-1 battering of the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday. Yet Juan Soto’s performance at the plate was just as captivating, and it was enough to command Judge’s attention.
Soto’s performances the past two games against the Guardians served as a reminder of how special of a talent he is in Major League Baseball. Just ask Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who after Wednesday’s victory put into perspective the way Soto is still only scratching the surface of his potential.
“He’s 25. He’s still in a lot of ways in the early stages of his career,” Boone told reporters postgame. “Which is remarkable for as much experience as he has. This guy is still growing and learning and developing.
“I think it doesn’t hurt having Aaron [Judge] behind him, but I think this is just a byproduct of how great of a hitter he is. I don’t think he’s focused necessarily on hitting a certain number of home runs. You see a guy who is obsessed with having a good at-bat, and he lives that every day.”
In the first of the three-game series against Cleveland, Soto homered to the short porch in right field in his first at-bat. In the Yankees’ win Wednesday, he homered again in his first trip to the plate, this one a two-run, 427-foot shot to deep center field. That homer marked a career-high 36 for him on the season. He reached his previous career high of 35 last season with the San Diego Padres.
“I’ve been putting a lot of work into this year,” Soto told reporters after the game. “I’m more than happy to see the results and everything, and try to help the team as much as I can.”
While the career best in homers will certainly be a highlight of Soto’s MVP-caliber season, that wasn’t necessarily the goal for him coming into this year with the Yankees.
“[The goal was] definitely be more consistent,” he said. “Don’t have that many ups and downs throughout the year. Try to be in the same line the whole year.”
With the bases loaded Wednesday, Soto cleared the bags on a double, giving him five RBI on the evening, which tied his season high in a single game.
Judge, who is the oddsmakers’ favorite to win his second AL MVP award this year, has been hitting just as well as Soto the past two games. During this series, Judge has three home runs, yet he says Soto commands his attention while he’s standing in the on-deck circle.
“It’s fun for me because you see the crowd getting into it. They’re in on every single pitch,” Judge said. “He’s fouling off tough pitches. He’s having great at-bat after great at-bat. It’s fun. We’re lucky to have him, and we gotta keep pushing to the end here.”
After another solid outing from Soto, Judge called out how “consistent” he is in sharing why he admires the star so much.
“He uses the whole field. Doesn’t matter if it’s two strikes, doesn’t matter if it’s bases loaded, big spot or just runner on first in the first inning. He treats every at-bat the same,” Judge said. “Same intensity, same focus. I think that’s what’s been fun for me to watch — just his level of focus throughout the game and throughout the season.”
Similarly, Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes — who had a great outing himself Wednesday, going seven innings without giving up a run — believes that being able to watch Soto up close gives him a different appreciation for the slugger’s greatness.
“Watching him from afar, it’s impressive because you know how good of a player he is. But watching him in here prepare every single day, I think that’s what stands out for me the most, the way he prepares,” Cortes said. “People forget: He’s 25 years old. It’s pretty impressive what he’s doing, what he’s done his whole career, and I’m sure he’s going to do very well moving forward.
“But like I said, being 25 and being that prepared and just knowing what type of pitch he likes to hit all the time. Doesn’t matter if it’s to left-center, right-center or right field — he’s going to hit the ball hard.”
