HOUSTON — When Juan Soto first joined the Yankees organization, he and outfield coach Luis Rojas sought each other out.
Rojas, the Yankees’ outfield coach, had seen Soto’s defense up close earlier in their careers. Rojas spent two seasons as the Mets’ manager from 2020-2021, and he coached for them prior to that when Soto’s career kicked off with the NL East rival Washington Nationals.
Rojas remembered watching an “average defender,” a label that followed Soto to the Padres. So when the Yankees acquired the slugger, he and Rojas began brainstorming ways to get more out of the outfielder.
“We kind of laid out a plan that we have from stuff that we’ve seen,” Rojas told the Daily News on Thursday. “But at the same time, we want to hear from him about what he wants to work on, what his routine is. And immediately, the first thing he said was, ‘Last year, I don’t think I was really good in some categories.’”
So when the two arrived at spring training, they began working on everything that outfield defense entails, including first steps and route running. Soto routinely asked for feedback, which Rojas happily provided.
And although Soto logged 10 assists last season, he made throwing a priority.
“Even though he threw out some runners, he actually worked a lot on his throwing in spring training, and he wasn’t pleased a lot of times.” Rojas recalled. “’I gotta get better. My ball’s tailing. My ball’s cutting.’ He’s always paying attention to those small details and he’s never satisfied. He wants perfection. So sometimes I tell him, ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. Let’s get the reps in.’ I think just the urgency of perfecting things is what makes him better in different categories. I think he’s going to have a really good defensive year.”
On Thursday, that urgency paid off in Soto’s Yankees debut, as the right fielder skipped a game-saving strike to home plate in the ninth inning. The throw was fielded cleanly by catcher Jose Trevino, who tagged out the Astros’ Mauricio Dubón.
A replay review upheld the call, and the Yankees ultimately came away with a 5-4 win on Opening Day.
“I had a good look or angle on Juan coming in, so I knew he got a good read on it and was building good momentum,” Aaron Boone said, adding that the infield grass was playing fast at Minute Maid Park. “Just a perfect throw. Great play by Trevi.
“Huge play.”
“That was a Yankee classic right there,” Aaron Judge added of Soto’s debut, which also included an RBI single and an eight-pitch walk.
Juan Soto throws out Mauricio Dubón at home!!!#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/QCGCLUkmmt
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 28, 2024
After the game, Soto acknowledged the work he put in with Rojas. He also noted that he only played left for the Padres last year, so he wanted to make sure he felt comfortable in right, where the Yankees plan to use him going forward.
“I worked all spring training long on my arm and the throws from right field,” Soto said. “To see this stuff happening, it’s just a great feeling. It tells you I’m going in the right way with what I’ve been doing and I’m more than excited to keep doing it.”
Added Judge, who shifted to center to accommodate Soto: “He’s been working on it all spring. I think a lot of people haven’t seen that. He’s been on the backfield a lot with a lot of coaches working on just how he wants the ball to come out of his hand. Work on his arm strength a little bit. And it showed up in a big moment.”
Rojas admitted that he’s been surprised with Soto’s attention to detail on defense, as it’s not always a priority for younger players, especially ones who hit like the superstar. But Boone said the 25-year-old “takes a lot of pride” in his defense.
“He wants to be great on defense,” the manager continued.
While Soto may want that, he has fallen short of such standards in the past.
While he threw a bunch of people out last year, he has -23 Outs Above Average and -15 Defensive Runs Saved for his career. Other stats, including Ultimate Zone Rating, FanGraphs’ ARM, RngR and Runs Above Average metrics, and Statcast’s Fielding Run Value have all given him negative marks for his career.
The eye test has agreed, which is why Rojas’ aforementioned “average defender” description could be considered a generous description of Soto’s pre-Yankees film in the field.
“I don’t know where that came from,” Judge said of Soto’s poor reputation. “But he’s been a great defender the whole time I’ve seen him in spring training. His routes, his reads, hustles to the ball. He always backs up. He communicates well in the outfield, so he’s been great. Great for us so far, and he’s gonna hold down right field pretty well for us.”
Asked if his defensive rep bothers him, Soto shook it off.
“No at all,” he said. “I gotta do stuff so they can start talking. Stuff like I did today. They’re gonna be talking about my defense later on.”
One throw to the plate won’t instantly change opinions of Soto’s defense, but the Yankees have observed that he cares about both sides of the ball. Perhaps with some more work — and room for growth — Soto will shed the perception that he’s only an asset on offense.
“When you’re young and athletic and you care and you work, you can move the needle,” Boone insisted. “Because he’s a good enough athlete. He works hard on getting reads and jumps and all those kinds of things. And as you get more and more experienced and get better at that, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be a good outfielder.”
