Hitters who can take walks are often praised for being incredibly patient at the plate.
Usually, it is the mark of a veteran hitter who has been around the league for quite some time.
In this case however, it’s a hitter who is still young and is only getting better.
Juan Soto is in a rare breed of young hitters.
The San Diego Padres slugger is often praised for his patience and the ability to take walks.
In fact, since the beginning of the 2021 season, Soto has drawn more walks than any hitter in all of baseball, and the difference between Soto and Aaron Judge, who is second on the list is stark.
Most regular season walks since the start of last year:
Juan Soto, 280 <—– not a typo
Aaron Judge, 186
Max Muncy, 173
Freddie Freeman, 169
Shohei Ohtani, 168 pic.twitter.com/480KSSrLXo— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) November 1, 2022
Soto Walks The Walk
It isn’t even close.
Soto has walked 280 times since the start of the 2021 season.
Judge, while incredibly patient in the box, has walked just 186 times.
That would normally be seen as a major accomplishment.
But when Soto is on the list, it likely won’t even be anywhere close.
Many younger hitters are very free swingers when they step into the box and it often shows, as they take swings at pitches that are well out of the strike zone.
Not Soto.
Instead, Soto integrates his famous “Soto shuffle” every time he takes a ball.
More walks obviously mean more Soto shuffles, which is something that fans all around baseball enjoy seeing.
Other names on the list include Max Muncy, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani.
They round out the top five in hitters with the most walks since the start of the 2021 regular season.
