Nationals’ 19-year-old Soto in amazing company
Juan Soto, the teenage phenom for the Washington Nationals, is following some heady footsteps in the major leagues.
In his first career start, the 19-yearold slugged a 422-foot, three-run home run on the first pitch he saw from San Diego starter Robbie Erlin.
“‘I’m ready,’ ” Nationals manager Dave Martinez recalled Soto saying. “I said, ‘I know you are.’ ”
Soto is only two games into his major league career, and it’s far too soon to project much beyond the fact that he’s a very exciting young player. Yet it’s hard to ignore the company he’s keeping as one of just 14 teenagers to hit a home run in the past 30 years — a group that features two Hall of Famers, multiple MVPs, All-Stars and rookies of the year.