By Miguel Rapetti
03 Mar 2024, 20:24 PM EST
What the Dominican Juan Soto has shown during his first commitments with the New York Yankees has surprised many, including members of his own team such as the manager of the currency, Aaron Boone, or the Cuban pitcher Néstor Cortés, the latter who spoke wonders of the gardener who recently arrived in the Bronx.
During the afternoon at the end of the weekend, in the Yankees’ 7-2 defeat against the Detroit Tigers, Cortés spoke about Soto’s work with the wood and especially the good moment that Soto is experiencing, who fired a new extra-base hit on the day .
“It’s a bit like the year of (Aaron) Judge’s 62 (home runs) (in 2022), where everyone expected a home run,” said the left-handed arm about what has been the performance of the newcomer Soto.
Soto finished the match 3-2 and with the home run in the first passage of the game he reached his fifth extra-base hit of Spring Training, where he has an impressive average of .667, with six hits in nine at-bats.
“It’s something that the pitchers are going to have to deal with when they face New York and knowing the type of lineup we have,” Cortés commented on Soto’s actions and his integration with other players on the team such as Aaron Judge.
In total, Cortés worked for four innings in which he allowed one hit and one run this Sunday against the Tigers and although he specifically cited Judge and Soto, he also recalled that the Yankees lineup also has other pieces that will give a lot to talk about during the 2024 Major League Baseball season.
“Not only them (Soto and Judge), but also check the rest of the roster; It’s pretty impressive, the names that are there on paper. So let’s hope we just play according to what our baseball cards say and I think we’ll be fine,” Cortés concluded.
For his part, manager Boone gave his opinion about Soto and how the Hispanic’s strength stands out above the rest on the team.
“I feel like he’s going to destroy the ball every time he swings,” Boone said of Soto during a brief meeting with the media.
Although the start of Spring Training has been slow for the Yankees, accumulating four wins, four losses and one draw to date, the team is seeking the necessary integration that will allow it to make a good showing in the 2024 Major League season and be able to advance. to the postseason, in a goal that became elusive in 2023 where they finished with a record of 82-80.
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