In marveling at what Juan Soto accomplished as a 22-year-old playing in his fourth major league campaign, Davey Martinez told reporters last weekend he was impressed by the way Soto responded to the the club’s trade deadline sell-off of veterans on expiring contracts (and the year-and-a-half of control left of Trea Turner before free agency), becoming a leader in the clubhouse and producing on the field in spite of the upheaval in the nation’s capital.
“He went through a period where a lot of his teammates left and were gone, guys that he built relationships with and bonded,” Martinez explained, “[and] for a while there he had a tough time, and then he realized that he’s got another group of young kids that he can help.