San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto has had several hitting phases in his career.
At times, he looks like a perennial .300 hitter, but he’s also struggling to top .260 (as he did last year when he hit .242).
At times, he looks like he has the power of Barry Bonds, but his career high for home runs is a relatively modest 34.
The one thing that never changes in his offensive profile, though, is his uncanny ability to control the strike zone and earn walks.
The lowest walk total he’s finished with has been 79, and that was as a rookie in just 116 games.
It’s fair to say that if he’d played close to 150 games, 100 walks would be easily achievable.
Other than that, he’s usually over the 100-walk threshold.
As a result, Soto is already in possession of a prized record.
With every ticket he earns in the 2023 campaign, he’ll make that record harder to break.
Most MLB walks before turning 25:
Juan Soto, 579 (695 matches)
Mel Ott, 541 (983 games)
Mickey’s Mantle, 522 (808 sets)
Ted Williams, 493 (586 games)
Eddie Yost, 491 (708 games)Juan Soto will not turn 25 until October 25. 😮 pic.twitter.com/W8uRbMALVr
— Encode (@CodifyBaseball) June 27, 2023
Soto already has the most walks by an MLB player before his 25th birthday with 579, according to Codify.
The best of all?
He won’t turn 25 until after the season, so he has several months to go to extend his impressive record.
Look at the list of hitters he’s already cut: Mel Ott, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and Eddie Yost.
That’s some pretty nice company right there.
Soto already has 72 walks in 2023, as we approach the middle of the season.
He also has 72 strikeouts: for sluggers, having the same number of walks and strikeouts is extremely difficult to achieve.
Soto, however, is more than just a slugger.
He is a special hitter.
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