Juan Soto has not played at Yankee Stadium very often, but enough to know how tantalizing the short right-field porch can be for a left-handed hitter.
The new Yankee doesn’t expect to let it change his plan at the plate.
“We all know there’s a really short porch right there, and it’s going to be on your mind, but definitely I’m going to try to stay in the same approach I’ve been doing,” Soto said Tuesday during his introductory Zoom call. “That’s what has taken me all the way to where I am right now. So I think there’s no reason to change it. I’m going to be trying to do the same thing.
“If I get the chance to pull any ball and hit it that way, that’s fine for me. But my strength is going to left-center, and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
Soto’s approach has worked just fine in his first six years in the big leagues.
He is a lifetime .284 hitter with a .421 on-base percentage and .946 OPS.
Though his calling card is his plate discipline, he is also known for using all parts of the field and not being overly pull-happy.
Still, Soto has looked plenty comfortable in limited action in The Bronx.
In seven games as a visitor at Yankee Stadium, Soto has hit .261 with a 1.219 OPS — including four of his six hits going for home runs across 28 plate appearances.
“It’s a great ballpark,” he said. “It’s a great batter’s box. It feels great to stand up there. It’s just the way it goes. It feels comfortable to be there. I get the chance to get really good pitches in the strike zone to do damage and I did it at the end of the day. … I just try to concentrate, put the ball in play and it just happens. I don’t even try to hit homers, I just try to hit low line drives to the middle.”
Asked what he enjoyed most about playing in New York as a visitor, Soto mentioned seeing family — he has uncles and friends from the Dominican Republic who now live in New York — and later addressed his excitement about playing in front of a large Dominican community in The Bronx.
“Definitely just a great vibe, a great feeling to be playing in New York in that stadium,” Soto said. “The fans, the crowd are just incredible.
“I’m more than excited to step on that field and see how much energy they can bring to the ballpark,” he added. “I think it’s going to be pretty amazing. It was pretty cool to see them from the other side, but I can’t imagine how it’s going to be being on the same side and hearing the cheers for me.”
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