Enjoys playing dominoes with his friends and family....Growing up, would train with his dad, who would toss crumpled-paper, rocks or bottles caps for him to hit with a bat....Became fluent in English only after his Major-League callup in 2018...he used Rosetta Stone and made his teammates talk to him in English and became fluent in English in a year and a half....His favorite sport outside of baseball is basketball and is a big NBA fan....On Jan. 15, 2023, younger brother, Elian (17), signed with WSH as an international free agent...the lefty-hitting outfielder/third baseman agreed to a $225,000 signing bonus with an additional $200,000 for a scholarship grant.....When he joined the Padres at the 2022 Trade Deadline, Nick Martinez switched from No. 22 to No. 21...when Soto asked what Nick wanted in return for his uniform number, Martinez replied that he’d like a boat...they compromised on a “really nice watch.”
2022
Concluded his 2022 campaign leading the Majors with 135walks and 34 multi-walk games...the next closest in total walks were Aaron Judge (111) and Max Muncy (90)....Finished the season ranked sixth in the Majors in OBP (.401)and eighth in the National League in OPS (.853)....On Sept. 21, drew his 500th career walk, becoming the first player since 1906 to walk 500 times before reaching the age of 24....Is 1 of just 3 players in Major League history to reach 500walks within their first 605 career games, joining Max Bishop (532 BB) and Ted Williams (513 BB) in the feat....Crowned the 2022 MLB Home Run Derby champion at Dodger Stadium, becoming the second-youngest player to win the competition....Since making his MLB debut in 2018 through 2022, Soto led the Majors in walks, ranked second in OBP and fourth in OPS....Reached base in 51 of his final 59 regular-season games(.401 OBP), despite going 48-for-202 at the dish (.238)....Over his final 17 regular-season games, hit .302 (19-for-63)with five doubles, three homers and nine RBI, including six multi-hit efforts during the span...in his 17 previous games from Aug. 27- Sept. 15, hit .107 (6-for-56) with a home run and three RBI....Won his third-consecutive Silver Slugger award after hitting 27 home runs and 25 doubles, while posting an .853 OPS....Selected as a Gold Glove Award finalist after turning in a.990 fielding percentage (3 E/310 TC) across an NL-leading 1298.1 innings among outfielders....Tied for second in the NL alongside Brandon Nimmo in games played (151), trailing just Jeff McNeil’s 154 games....Acquired on Aug. 2 with infielder Josh Bell from Washington in exchange for 1B/DH Luke Voit, SS C.J. Abrams, outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood, LHP Mackenzie Gore and RHP Jarlin Susana.
POSTSEASON: Reached base safely in 11 of SD's 12 Postseason games (.727 OPS), including each of the final 11 after not reaching base in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series vs. NYM...he collected a hit in nine of those games....Hit .239 (11-for-46) with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI across 12 games.
2021
Finished runner up for the 2021 National League Most Valuable Player Award...Was named to his first National League All-Star team...Won his second consecutive National League Silver Slugger and First-Team All-MLB awards...Until the final week of the season, was also in a position to win his second consecutive National League batting title...Soto’s .465 on-base percentage led Major League Baseball and was the highest in a full season since 2008 (HOF Chipper Jones, .470)…Soto was the only qualified player in Major League Baseball with more walks than strikeouts...He led Major League Baseball with a 1.56 BB/SO ratio...His 145 walks were the most in a full season since Barry Bonds set the Major League record for walks in a season with 232 in 2004 and the second-most by any player prior to his 23rd birthday behind HOF Ted Williams (147 in 1941)…Vaulted himself into MVP consideration thanks to a strong second half...He hit .348/.525/.639 with 11 doubles, one triple, 18 homers, 53 RBI, 87 walks and 57 runs scored after the All-Star break...His .525 on-base percentage ranked eighth in Major League history for any player after the All-Star break...He reached base safely at least four times in 26 games this season...Only Barry Bonds (2001, 2002, 2004), Hall of Famer Babe Ruth (1920, 1923, 1931) and Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig (1931) put together seasons with at least 26 games in which they reached base safely at least four times... Soto recorded his first career walk-off hit on April 6 vs. Atlanta, an RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth inning off Will Smith...It was the third walk-off win in Nationals Opening Day history (other: March 30, 2008 vs. ATL and April 12, 2012 vs. CIN)…He reached safely in 32 of 35 games (.540 OBP) and 45 of 50 games (.535 OBP) to end the season...On Sept. 23 at Cincinnati, he broke the record for most walks in a season in Nationals history (2005-pres.) passing Bryce Harper (130 in 2015)… Reached base safely in 21 straight games from June 13 to July 4, matching his career-long streak.
2020
Earned his first Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger award, named All-MLB First Team and finished fifth in the National League MVP voting...Secured the National League batting title, finishing the season with a .351 batting average...Led Major League Baseball in all significant rate categories: on-base percentage (.490), slugging percentage (.695), OPS (1.185), wRC+ (200) and wOBA (.478)...Despite missing 13 games, ranked in the National League in intentional walks (1st, 12), walks (4th, 41), fWAR (9th, 2.4), runs scored (T12th, 39), and home runs (T14th, 13)...Was named National League Player of the Week on Aug. 17, following a week in which he hit .462 (12-for-26) with one double, five home runs, 12 RBI, three walks, one stolen base and 12 runs scored in seven games...On Aug. 12 at New York (NL), he recorded his first multi-home run game of the season and the sixth of his career...He followed that with his second multi-homer game of 2020 and the seventh of his career on Aug. 31 at Philadelphia...His seven career multi-home run games sit behind only Hall of Famer Mel Ott (8) for the most multi-home run games before turning 22 years old.
2019
Once again put together an historic season for a player before turning 21 years old...Was named Babe Ruth Postsesaon MVP by the New York BBWAA, second-team All-MLB and a Gold Glove Finalist...His 34 home runs were tied for second-most by a 20-year old in Major League history behind Mel Ott (42 in 1929)...Ranked among National League hitters in walks (3rd, 108), on-base percentage (5th, .401), OPS (6th, .949) and slugging percentage (12th, .548)...Hit go-ahead, game-winning three-run homer on April 9 at Philadelphia (Alvarez)... On July 13 he hit a two-run home run to pull ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3...It was his third career go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later...All three coming against Philadelphia...Recorded a career-high four walks on Sept. 23 vs. Philadelphia...Recorded RBI in career-long seven straight games (7/26-8/2)...Homered in three straight games (7/30-8/2)...Appeared in his first career Postseason and went on to start in 17 Postseason games...Laced game-winning, bases loaded, three-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning that plated Michael A. Taylor, Andrew Stevenson and Anthony Rendon and propelled Washington to the NLDS for the fifth time in team history (2005-pres.)...According to Stats, Inc., he became the youngest player in Postseason history to come through with the game-tying or go ahead RBI in the eighth inning or later...Recorded his second Postseason homer in Game 5 of the NLDS, a game-tying solo home run off Clayton Kershaw...Became the eighth player in MLB history to hit a home run in a Postseason game before his 21st birthday and one of five to homer more than once: Miguel Cabrera (4), Mickey Mantle (2), Andruw Jones (2), Rafael Devers (2), Manny Machado (1), Bryce Harper (1), Ronald Acuña Jr. (1)...Recorded the first NLCS hit of his career in the top of the ninth inning of Game 1...He became the first player younger than 21 years old to notch a hit in an NLCS game since Justin Upton in Game 4 of the 2007 NLCS...He joined Upton, Miguel Cabrera, Andruw Jones and Claudell Washington as the only players to record a hit in an NLCS contest while younger than 21 years old...In Game 1 of the World Series, he clubbed a mammoth solo home run in the top of the fourth inning, to tie the game at 2-2 and in the fifth inning, his two-run double extended Washington's lead to 5-2...Became the youngest player to appear in a World Series game since Adalberto Mondesi (20.095)...Since 1997, only Mondesi, Miguel Cabrera (2003) and Francisco Rodriguez (2002) had appeared in a World Series game prior to their 21st birthday...He became the fourth different player (fifth time) to homer in a World Series game before his 21st birthday, joining Miguel Cabrera (G4, 2003), Andruw Jones (G1, 1996) and HOF Mickey Mantle (G6 and G7, 1952)... Turned 21-years-old on Oct. 25, the day of Game 3...Clubbed his second home run of the World Series in Game 5...Became the fifth player younger than 22 years to hit multiple World Series home runs, joining Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle (4) and Jimmie Foxx (2), as well as Tony Kubek (2) and Andruw Jones (2)...Game 5 marked the first in World Series history in which multiple players age 22-or-younger hit a home run (Yordan Alvarez and Juan Soto)...Clubbed his third home run of the World Series in Game 6, becoming the youngest player in history to record three home runs in a single World Series...The homer was his fifth of the 2019 Postseason, passing Miguel Cabrera (2003) for the most home runs in a single Postseason by a player younger than 22 years old...He became the youngest player since Mickey Mantle (1952) to log an RBI in a World Series Game 7 and he joined Mantle (1953) as the only players in history age 21-or-younger to collect seven RBI in a single Fall Classic...His 18 hits in the Postseason matched Miguel Cabrera (2003) for most hits in a single Postseason by a player younger than 22 years old.
2018
As a 19 year old, finished runner up in the National League Rookie of the Year voting as he put together one of the most historic seasons for a teenager in MLB history (see info boxes below)...Began his season with Single-A Hagerstown before getting promoted to Single-A Potomac on April 23 and to Double-A Harrisburg on May 10...Appeared in just eight games with the Senators before having his contract selected on May 20...Clubbed a three-run home run in his first at bat the next day, May 21 vs. San Diego (Erlin)...Not only did he rank among the top National League rookies, but from May 15 (the first game in his game log, due to the suspended game vs. NYY) through the end of the season he ranked among all National League hitters in walks (T4th, 79), on-base percentage (5th, .406), runs (T6th, 77) and OPS (8th, .923)...Moreover, among all National Leaguers (min. 490 PA), he ranked in on-base percentage (2nd, .406), OPS (3rd, .923), slugging percentage (10th, .517) and batting average (12th, .292)...Finished his rookie season with a .292 batting average, .406 on-base percentage and a .517 slugging percentage...He is just the 15th rookie in Major League history - and the only teenager - to finish a season with that slash line...His .406 OBP placed him in exclusive company with 2017 AL Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge and 2001 National League Rookie of the Year Albert Pujols (.403 in 2001)...Since 2001, Soto, Judge and Pujols are the only rookies to post an on-base percentage greater than .400 in their rookie season (min. 400 PA)...Named NL Rookie of the Month for June, July and Sept...On June 13, recorded the first multi-home run game of his career with a three-run blast in the fourth inning and a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning to help the Nationals top the Yankees at Yankee Stadium... He became the fifth-youngest player in MLB history to record at least two home runs in a game...He joined ATL Andruw Jones (10/20/96), SEA Ken Griffey Jr. (5/30/89) and CWS Brian McCall (9/30/62) as the only teenagers since 1962 to record multi-HR games on the road against the Yankees... Went on to record two more multi-home run games (6/29 at PHI and 9/11 at PHI)...Posted a 21-game on-base streak from Aug. 24 to Sept. 16...Hit .370 (30-for-81) with four doubles, five homers, 19 RBI and 15 walks during the streak...His 21-game on-base streak tied HOF Mickey Mantle and trailed only HOF Mel Ott (22 games in 1928) for the longest on-base streak by a teenager in MLB history...With three stolen bases on Sept. 15 at Atlanta, he became the youngest player since 1900 to steal three bases in a game, besting Rickey Henderson (20 years, 241 days)...Following the season, took part in the 2018 Japan All-Star Series...Hit .350 (7-for-20) with two doubles, two homers, five RBI, two walks and six runs scored in five games
