Yankees' Juan Soto has lived up to the hype, and then some

MILWAUKEE — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman rarely engages in hyperbole. His many years in the sport have taught  him to live by this axiom: Under-promise and over-deliver.

Still, once in a while, Cashman goes down the superlative road. The results have been mixed.

Referencing Clint Frazier’s “legendary” bat speed shortly after trading for the touted Cleveland outfield prospect in 2016 is one example of it not working out.

But in the case of Juan Soto, everything Cashman said shortly after completing the trade for the outfielder during the winter meetings in December — including characterizing his bat as “transformational” — has more than come to fruition.

“Everybody knows he’s a Hall of Fame-caliber-type player, right?” Cashman told reporters earlier this week during an event in the Bronx. “He’s one of a kind in that way. Only a few can be in that category. When you get those caliber, or those types, you certainly hope that the transition is easy and it’s plug-and-play. So far, the transition’s been easy, and it’s been plug-and-play.”

Soto, who debuted in 2018 at 19 years old with the Nationals, came into this weekend’s series against the Brewers having shown all of the tools that made him a three-time All-Star by the age of 25.

After going 1-for-4 with a walk and a double in Thursday night’s 3-1 loss to the A’s, Soto was hitting a team-best .316 with an American League-best .430 on-base percentage. Soto, who had reached base in 23 of his 26 games going into Friday — and reached base multiple times in 16 of those games — also led the club in slugging percentage (.561), OPS (.991), walks (21), runs (17), total bases (55), homers (six) and RBIs (22). He hit his seventh homer in the first inning Friday night.

During the Yankees’ most recent homestand, Soto, a free agent at season’s end, heard “MVP! MVP!” chants emanating from fans in the bleachers and in rightfield.

It did not go unnoticed.

“Definitely, it feels great,” said Soto, also noting how early in the season it is for such proclamations. “They’ve just really supported me every day, day in, day out. It just feels amazing.”

Soto’s fit in the clubhouse has been a seamless one pretty much from the first day of spring training. His locker at Steinbrenner Field, located near the lockers of Giancarlo Stanton, prospect Jasson Dominguez, Trent Grisham and Alex Verdugo, often was a beehive of activity, and not just because of the slew of reporters stopping by for interviews.

Soto, whether sitting near his locker or toward the far end of the same row, where Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo dress, seemingly was game to talk hitting with anybody.

That extended to behind the scenes, where various players, including Oswaldo Cabrera — whom Soto began to mentor in spring training — as well as Judge and many others would watch him go about his work in the cage.

There have been more subtle signs of leadership from Soto.

Such as: When Anthony Volpe hit his first homer of the season on March 30 in Houston, a glance at the Yankees' dugout as the ball settled into the Crawford Boxes in left showed Soto pounding the dugout railing, celebrating the blast as much as, if not more than, anyone else.

Those kind of unscripted reactions from star players can’t be measured by any tangible metric but can contribute to a positive clubhouse culture.

“We’re really thankful and grateful that he’s here and playing for us,” Cashman said. “He’s been a driving force for us. It feels like his personality fits the team and our fan base. It’s been a good run, and he’s obviously helped us hit that win column quite often so far.”

Notes & quotes: Before Friday night’s game, Aaron Boone said Dominguez, recovering from Tommy John surgery, is throwing at 135 feet and could be ready for minor-league rehab games in the next “few weeks.” The organization’s hope continues to be, as it has been since Dominguez underwent the surgery in September, a return by late June . . .   Judge turned 32 on Friday. Entering Friday, he was 7-for-17 (.412) in five career games played on his birthday, homering twice. Judge hit a two-run homer April 26, 2017, in Boston on his 25th birthday and went deep at Yankee Stadium against Baltimore when he turned 30 in 2022.