Soto’s defense pays off in Yankees debut
HOUSTON — When Juan Soto first joined the Yankees organization, he and outfield coach Luis Rojas sought each other out.
Rojas, the Yankees’ outfield coach, had seen Soto’s defense up close earlier in their careers. Rojas spent two seasons as the Mets’ manager from 2020-2021, and he coached for them prior to that when Soto’s career kicked off with the NL East rival Washington Nationals.
Rojas remembered watching an “average defender,” a label that followed Soto to the Padres. So when the Yankees acquired the slugger, he and Rojas began brainstorming ways to get more out of the outfielder.
“We kind of laid out a plan that we have from stuff that we’ve seen,” Rojas told the Daily News on Thursday. “But at the same time, we want to hear from him about what he wants to work on, what his routine is. And immediately, the first thing he said was, ‘Last year, I don’t think I was really good in some categories.’”
So when the two arrived at spring training, they began working on everything that outfield defense entails, including first steps and route running. Soto routinely asked for feedback, which Rojas happily provided.
And although Soto logged 10 assists last season, he made throwing a priority.
“Even though he threw out some runners, he actually worked a lot on his throwing in spring training, and he wasn’t pleased a lot of times.” Rojas recalled.
“‘I gotta get better. My ball’s tailing. My ball’s cutting.’ He’s always paying attention to those small details and he’s never satisfied. He wants perfection. So sometimes I tell him, ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. Let’s get the reps in.’ I think just the urgency of perfecting things is what makes him better in different categories. I think he’s going to have a really good defensive year.”
On Thursday, that urgency paid off in Soto’s Yankees debut, as the right fielder skipped a game-saving strike to home plate in the ninth inning. The throw was fielded cleanly by catcher Jose Trevino, who tagged out the Astros’ Mauricio Dubón.
A replay review upheld the call, and the Yankees ultimately came away with a 5-4 win on Opening Day.
“I had a good look or angle on Juan coming in, so I knew he got a good read on it and was building good momentum,” Aaron Boone said, adding that the infield grass was playing fast at Minute Maid Park. “Just a perfect throw. Great play by Trevi.
“Huge play.”
“That was a Yankee classic right there,” Aaron Judge added of Soto’s debut, which also included an RBI single and an eight-pitch walk.
After the game, Soto acknowledged the work he put in with Rojas. He also noted that he only played left for the Padres last year, so he wanted to make sure he felt comfortable in right, where the Yankees plan to use him going forward.
“I worked all spring training long on my arm and the throws from right field,” Soto said. “To see this stuff happening, it’s just a great feeling. It tells you I’m going in the right way with what I’ve been doing and I’m more than excited to keep doing it.”