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Fans Get First Look at New York Yankees Superstar Juan Soto Taking Batting Practice

Juan Soto took batting practice down at the New York Yankees' Spring Training facilities in Florida, and the premier offseason trade acquisition went viral in the process.
Sam Connon|
Fans Get First Look at New York Yankees Superstar Juan Soto Taking Batting Practice
Fans Get First Look at New York Yankees Superstar Juan Soto Taking Batting Practice

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New York YankeesSan Diego PadresWashington Nationals

After arriving at Spring Training on Monday, outfielder Juan Soto stepped up to the plate wearing New York Yankees gear for the first time Tuesday.

Several videos of Soto's batting practice session went viral on social media, as it was fans' first chance to see the superstar actually suit up for his new club. The San Diego Padres traded Soto to the Yankees in December, just 16 months after they acquired him in a separate blockbuster trade with the Washington Nationals.

Soto is set to earn a record-breaking $31.5 million this season, as he and the Yankees agreed on the highest salary ever given to an arbitration-eligible player. Although New York has yet to extend one of its new franchise centerpieces, the 25-year-old is understandably drawing plenty of attention from Yankees fans who made the trek down to Tampa.

Soto even showed off his signature shuffle, getting low and shifting back and forth after taking a pitch during live batting practice. It's a move Yankees fans should get used to, considering Soto leads baseball with 412 walks over the past three seasons.

Soto hit .275 with 35 home runs, 109 RBI, 12 stolen bases, a .930 OPS and a 5.5 WAR with the Padres in 2023. Even at his young age, Soto has already managed to rack up 768 hits, 160 home runs, 483 RBI, 50 stolen bases and a 28.6 WAR in his career while batting .284 with a .946 OPS.

FanGraphs' ZiPS model currently projects Soto to finish 2024 with 33 home runs, 103 RBI, 11 stolen bases, a .275 batting average, a .937 OPS and a 5.8 WAR.

Soto could very well see his first in-game action Saturday, when the Yankees take on the Detroit Tigers in their Spring Training opener. New York's regular season opener is set for March 28 on the road versus the Houston Astros.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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