It’s hard to trust the Yankees at this point, and it will take some time after the All-Star break to gauge how they adjust for the playoffs.
If there is one player in particular who is gaining credibility on the market, it’s Juan Soto, who has not slowed down even amid the Yankees’ slump.
The soon-to-be free agent certainly can’t afford to do that amid the uncertainty surrounding his contract situation.
Soto is hitting beach balls this season as he has the best full year of his career (.351 batting average in the shortened 2020 season).
The left-handed slugger went 2-for-2 with one home run in his first two at-bats against Shane Baz on July 11.
The Buzzers allowed two extra-base hits in the fifth inning to come to a close, but they held on to the lead.
Buzz’s fastball has shown impressive velocity in just two starts in 2024, but Soto is making big money off his fastball.
He has hit 17 home runs and is batting .344.
Of course, there is always an added advantage for a left-handed hitter when facing a right-handed pitcher.
Soto took that dominance to another level, batting .301 and hitting 18 of his 23 home runs against right-handed pitchers.
On the other hand, Buzz is very weak against left-handed batters.
In 10¹/₃ innings so far, he is batting .417 with an on-base percentage of 46.2 percent.
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That means the Rays’ starting rotation will feature young, established pitchers facing off against hitters in the top 1% of contact hit rates.
There are plenty of upsides to be had as Soto approaches him on Sunday with his famous at-bat discipline.
play: Juan Soto 1.5+ bases (FanDuel Sportsbook)
