Aaron Judge proved why he’s the favorite to win the American League MVP award this year when he hit his 46th and 47th home runs of the season in Wednesday’s game between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians, but Juan Soto’s production at the plate was just as captivating and was enough to catch Judge’s attention.
Soto’s performances over the past two games against the Guardians were reminders of what a special talent he is in the major leagues, but just ask Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who after Wednesday’s win made it clear that Soto has only scratched the surface of his potential.
“He’s 25 years old. It’s still early in his career in a lot of ways,” Boone told reporters after the game. “With all that experience, it’s amazing. He’s still growing and learning and developing.”
“I don’t think it’s a problem if Aaron is there. [Judge] He has a lot of fans behind him, but I think that’s just a byproduct of how good a hitter he is. I don’t think he’s necessarily focused on hitting a certain number of home runs. He’s a guy that’s obsessed with getting good at-bats and he does that every day.”
In the first of a three-game series against Cleveland, Soto hit a home run into the short porch in right field in his first at-bat. In Wednesday’s Yankees win, he homered again in his first at-bat, this time a two-run, 427-footer to deep center field. It was his career-high 36th homer of the season. He hit his 35th homer last season with the San Diego Padres.
“I’ve worked hard this year,” Soto told reporters after the game. “I’m really happy to see the results and I want to help the team in any way I can.”
A career-high in home runs would certainly be the highlight of an MVP-caliber season for Soto, but that wasn’t necessarily his goal entering the year with the Yankees.
“[The goal was] “I have to be more consistent,” he said. “Not have so many ups and downs throughout the year. Try to stay on the same page all year round.”
With the bases loaded on Wednesday, Soto doubled to sweep the bases and had five RBI on the night, tying his season high in a single game.
Judge, the favorite to win his second AL MVP award this year, has been hitting just as well as Soto over the past two games and, although he has hit three homers in the series, Judge said all eyes will be on Soto when he’s in the on-deck circle.
“It’s fun for me because you can see the crowd going wild. They’re into every pitch,” Judge said. “He’s fouling off hard pitches. He’s having great at-bats after great at-bats. It’s fun. We’re lucky to have him. We’ve just got to keep hustling until the end.”
After another solid showing from Soto, Judge praised how “consistent” he has been in talking about why he respects the star so much.
“He uses the whole field. It doesn’t matter if it’s two strikes, the bases loaded, a big spot, a runner on first in the bottom of the first inning. He treats every at-bat the same,” Judge said. “Same intensity, same focus. I think it’s fun for me to watch how focused he is throughout the game and throughout the season.”
Similarly, Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, who pitched an impressive seven scoreless innings on Wednesday, believes getting to see Soto up close gives him a different appreciation for the slugger’s greatness.
“Watching him from afar, I’m impressed because I know how good of a player he is, but watching him prepare every day here, what impresses me the most is the way he prepares,” Cortes said. “People forget, he’s only 25 years old. I’m really impressed with what he’s doing and what he’s accomplished so far in his career, and I’m sure he’ll continue to do well.”
“But like I said, he’s 25, he’s ready to go, he’s always known what pitch he likes to hit. Whether it’s to left-center, right-center or right field, he’s going to hit it with power.”