At the park with Juan Soto

It’s almost the time of year when Major League Baseball’s brightest stars come together to shine at the Midsummer Classic. This year’s All-Star Game will be played at our nation’s capital, Washington D.C.

I’m currently in D.C. to film a few features for La Vida Baseball. I had the opportunity to interview the youngest player in MLB, Juan Soto from the Dominican Republic. The Nationals’ young phenom has had an interesting start to his career.

Soto, who is nicknamed the “Childish Bambino,” made his debut this May 20 at 19 years and 207 days old, making himself the youngest player in MLB as soon as he stepped on the field for his first appearance.

He hit his first home run on June 18, almost a month after his debut. Coincidentally, he hit his first home run against the New York Yankees in a game that had to be resumed due to weather from a game that was postponed on May 15. So technically, Soto hit a home run in a game that started before his MLB debut.

When I arrived at Nationals Park on Sunday, all eyes were on the young phenom. I was able to talk to Soto before batting practice and ask him how he felt after hitting his first home run.

“It felt excellent,” he said. “The fans were supporting me and the team as well. It’s something very exciting.”

Exciting it was.

You can see the hunger and passion in his eyes to want to be the best. He was eager to get to batting practice and be out on the field with his team.

I also asked Soto if any veteran ballplayers he’s looked up to such as Vladimir Guerrero or Adrián Beltré had ever given him advice on playing in the majors. He said they told him to “be yourself and have fun.”

This job has afforded me the opportunity to visit many ballparks across the country, and this trip to Nationals Park was my first visit. After the first pitch was thrown, I was able to sit down and watch Soto play. He hit a double, and the crowd went crazy. During the middle of the fourth inning one of the Nationals’ fans’ ambassadors approached a fan out in center field with a question.

The fan was asked which player he thought would hit a home run that night. Without any hesitation, he answered: the “Childish Bambino, Juan Soto.”

The crowd went wild.

You can tell the crowd is excited to cheer for Soto, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound outfielder who jumped from low Class A to high Class A to Class AA to the majors this season.

At a time when the All-Star Game is less than a month away, Soto will bring much attention and excitement to Washington D.C. and the Nationals leading up to the game.

Although he may not be an All-Star his first year in the majors, his future looks bright. I’m excited to see how the rest of his season plays out and to see him grow and prosper into one of MLB’s best players.

Featured Image: Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images Sport

Inset Image: La Vida Baseball