I used to buy some hobby packs of the 2021 Topps Japan edition. Well, actually, several packs. However, last year, the 2022 Topps Japan edition wasn’t available in the local card shops, which I frequently go to. I was thinking whether I should ask some friends who live in Japan to help me get some packs of the 2022 Topps Japan edition. Nonetheless, in February, I bought some lucky bags online and there was a pack of the 2022 Topps Japan edition. And, I just couldn’t wait to open it.
In the pack, I found a Juan Soto 1987 Cherry Tree insert. On the front, we can see that Juan Soto was wearing the Nationals City Connect jersey. Soto is surely one of the great young stars in the majors. He was traded to the Padres last August. However, after being traded to the Padres, Soto only hit .236/.388/.390 with 6 home runs and 16 RBI in 52 games.
In Washington, D.C., cherry blossoms are a big event each year. In the 2023 season, does Soto’s career blossom in San Diego?
By far this season, Juan Soto already played 21 games. He now slashes .183/.363/.394 with 4 home runs and 9 RBI. Well, the numbers don’t look very impressive at the beginning of the 2023 season. Nonetheless, there’s still good news. Soto now has 20 walks, leading the majors. And, he was struck out 19 times. Hence, he now still has a BB/K rate over 1.
In addition, let’s take a look at other stats. Soto’s xwOBA was .401 in 2022 and so far this year, his xwOBA is .413. So, he still makes solid contact. Moreover, his hard-hit rate is over 50% by far this season. Therefore, there’s no doubt that Soto can hit the ball hard and he still does it this season.
Nevertheless, there's something we have to keep watching. Soto’s strikeout rate was below 15% in the 2022 season. But now, his K% is slightly over 20%. As we can see, Soto’s chase rate is actually the same as it was in 2022. But, the good thing is that his walk rate was over 20% last year and, now, his walk rate goes up a little bit.
Before being traded to the Padres, Juan Soto played for the Nationals for 5 seasons. He slashed .291/.427/.538 with 119 home runs and 358 RBI in 565 games. In particular, he led the majors in walks in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, he had an on-base percentage over .400 in each season with the Nationals. Furthermore, his OPS was over .900 while wearing the Nationals uniform. With the Padres, Soto’s OPS is below .800. Well, his OBP is over .350 in the Padres uniform, but he’s Juan Soto and fans expect to see him do something exceptionally. A few years ago, I passed by the Nationals Park and a staffer indicated that it’s great to go to the ballpark in spring. With cherry blossoms, the area would be really beautiful. This spring, cherry blossoms still happened. However, Juan Soto isn't there. Soto’s career blossomed in Washington D.C., nonetheless, the Padres fans might still have to be a little more patient to see Soto’s career blossom in San Diego.
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