Even though Juan Soto didn’t end up winning National League Rookie of the Year, he was one of the best breakout stories in baseball last year. The Washington Nationals outfielder wasn’t supposed to be this good, this soon, but he clearly had other plans with the way he played.
Nats fans were only able to marvel at Soto’s plate discipline, displaying an unheard of level of maturity for someone his age. It was tough not to smirk when he let a close pitch go by, before dragging his feet in the batter’s box and staring down the pitcher thinking “Nice try, I’m just better than you.