Juan Soto Opens Up on Special Aaron Judge Opportunity, Lauds Superstar Slugger Amidst Yankees’ Batting Order Doubt

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest stories of this season is how Juan Soto will perform for the New York Yankees. In an unusual occurrence, at just 25, the Childish Bambino is about to play on his third team. The interesting part is how Soto will adjust to this new environment. More importantly, play in front of Aaron Judge.

For Soto, this could be the second consecutive season where he might hit second in the lineup. While he struggled in the Padres, things looked different in the Pinstripes. Either due to Judge’s presence or his confidence, Soto looks enthusiastic at the prospect of hitting in front of the “MVP-caliber player.”

During an interview with The Athletic, Juan Soto was asked whether he’d prefer to hit in front of the judge or behind him. To this, Soto replied, “Who doesn’t want to hit in front of Judge? That’s the best. You’re gonna get more chances to hit. You’re gonna get more pitches in the strike zone. I think it’s going to be great hitting in front of him, or even behind him.” 

The enthusiasm of Soto to play with Judge has been visible throughout this Spring Training. However, Soto also shared how it’s not just All Rise but the entire New York Yankees hitting lineup that will help him hit more. Singling out Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton as experienced hitters, Soto shared that even with them, he’d get more chances to hit because “who wants to face those guys?” 

Clearly, Soto’s excitement is quite palpable. The fact that he hit a massive home run in the recent Spring Training game shows that Soto has taken to the Pinstripes quite naturally. Still, shifting to second is a massive challenge. Soto shared his experience with the same.

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Juan Soto explains how shifting his position was not an easy task. 

Soto was asked how it felt to play in second after having been a 3rd hitter for the majority of his career. To this, the Childish Bambino said, “Hitting third is where I’ve hit my whole career. Hitting second was new for me. I’m still learning from it.” However, Soto believed that 2024 would be better than last season. In 2023, the superstar struggled initially before finding his footing. 

So it looks like Soto is ready to give the Yankee Nation a show to remember. With the World Series in his sight, the Dominican Superstar wants to make his walk year a memorable one for the Bronx faithful. If spring training is any indication, the show is just getting started.

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