Soto Salute

On August 11 this year during a Sunday afternoon in the Bronx, Yankees outfielder Juan Soto clubbed his 29th and 30th dingers of the year.  Since that multi-homer performance, I’ve been following New York’s box scores with an increased focus on Soto’s line, for I realized then that should Soto hit his 40th round-tripper this season, that four-bagger would also give him 200 for his career.  Ah, the joys of round numbers.

Soto’s twin-toned milestone arrived five weeks later, marking his Yankees debut season with a nice rest stop to consider the context for both what he’s accomplished in his career and as one-half of a dynamic hitting duo that can rightly rub shoulders with some of the most prolific 1-2 offensive punches the game has ever seen.  

Soto’s 200th home run makes him one of nine players in history to blast at least that many through an age-25 season, and his company is quite spectacular.  Jimmie Foxx became the inaugural member of this nonet, with 222 at the conclusion of the 1933 campaign.  Mel Ott (211) followed one year later, and then the club doubled in size in 1957, when Mickey Mantle (207) and Eddie Mathews (222) punched out the necessary entrance code.  Frank Robinson (202) filled a fifth seat in 1961, and then five was enough for four decades. 

Alex Rodriguez bounded over the threshold in 2001, finishing his age-25 season with 241 homers, still the most ever for any player at this age-stage in his career.  Albert Pujols (in 2005) and Mike Trout (2017) both completed their age-25 campaigns with 201 blasts.  And now Soto is in:  an exciting testament to his extraordinary start and exceptional profile when handling some lumber.

Soto’s brilliance comes in other forms, of course – most notably, what happens when that imposing batter simply (mostly) keeps his swing to himself and allows the pitcher to issue a free pass.  Soto has now drawn 761 walks in his career, a tally that towers over any competition in this game’s history.  For all players through age-25 seasons, Soto’s 761 stands as nearly 100 more than anyone else, with Mickey Mantle’s 670 the second most.  Mel Ott had 622, and then the only other player with even 600 is “The Walking Man,” Eddie Yost (620).  Patience and power:  Juan Soto’s abundancy through his age is unprecedented*.  

Soto’s 2024, while lauded and impressive, has simultaneously been relegated to second billing, thanks to the otherworldly efforts of the guy right behind him in the batting order, Aaron Judge.  The 32-year-old leads the Majors in homers (53), walks (123) and RBI (136) on his way to (if you want to rely on bWAR) one of the 15 or so most valuable offensive seasons in baseball history.  Soto’s 40 homers rank fourth in the Majors, his 121 walks are second, and his 103 RBI tie him for seventh.  These numbers for the two have been purposely highlighted, for teammates assembling them in the same season happens just about never.  

To the surprise of few who’ve gotten this far in the piece, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were the first set of teammates ever to post 40-homer, 100-walk, 100-RBI seasons in the same year.  And to the astonishment of probably no one, the celebrated duo did this more than once: in 1927, 1930 and 1931.  

Three decades after Gehrig and Ruth’s third time ‘round the block, it happened again in the AL, in 1961.  In a rejoinder to the Yankees’ M&M Boys (Mantle and Roger Maris), Detroit’s C&C combo put on a show.  That year, Norm Cash rang up 41 homers, 132 RBI and 124 walks while Rocky Colavito flourished a 45-140-113 line.  The Tigers may have finished second to the Yankees for the pennant and Colavito and Cash may have been overshadowed by Maris and Mantle, but a direct connection to Ruth and Gehrig remains breathtaking.  So it was for the Tigers pair in ’61, and so it is for Soto and Judge in 2024, now standing proudly as the third set of teammates with this particular 40-100-100 campaign.  

As a teenager, Juan Soto showcased an astonishing knowledge of self at the plate – deliver a pitch in his zone and he was often going to do damage; miss the plate and he would let the serving pass.  It’s a practice and rhythm of response that has been metronomic in its resiliency and resonance, and it’s led Soto to places mounted by very few or none at all, connecting to some of the most accomplished producers ever and giving the fans of today the thrill of witnessing one of the very special hitters to play this game.

*For those who might be curious about a couple of names not mentioned in the discussion about tallying tons of homers and walks through an age-25 season, this might be for you.  Barry Bonds – the all-time leader in both home runs (762) and walks (2,558) – had 117 round-trippers and 377 bases on balls through his age-25 season.  Through his age-23 season, Ted Williams had compiled 127 home runs and 495 walks, or an average of 32 and 124 per season.  The Kid then missed his age-24 and -25 seasons because of World War II.  Giving him another 64 home runs and 248 walks, Williams’ imaginary “through his age-25 season” tallies become 191 four-baggers and 743 free passes. 

Thanks to Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.