PORT ST. LUCIE — Eric Chavez has lengthy been a fan of nice hitters.
From his personal enjoying days, he tried to emulate Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds.
Extra lately, his eyes have been drawn to a different lefty-swinger: Juan Soto.
And after telling The Put up’s Joel Sherman earlier this spring that watching Soto’s pre-workout routine gave him “goose bumps,” the Mets hitting coach has discovered himself much more impressed after getting to observe him play in video games — albeit nonetheless in spring coaching — frequently for the previous three weeks.
“To see it from afar is fantastic,” Chavez mentioned of Soto’s skill on the plate. “The closer he gets to you, the more you go ‘Whoa, that’s different.’ ”
Even throughout Grapefruit League video games, Soto applies the identical disciplined, affected person method he does within the common season.
It wowed the Yankees a yr in the past and is doing the identical factor in Mets camp.
Chavez has been so impressed by what he’s seen from Soto, he may solely consider one different hitter to check him to, and it’s not Griffey Jr.
“I think Bonds was as close to a perfect hitter as I’ve ever seen and Soto is right there on his heels,’’ Chavez said. “It’s pretty special. You kind of anticipate what he’s gonna be like when he gets here, but it’s not the same. It’s about as good as I’ve ever seen. I’m glad he’s on our side.”
As Carlos Mendoza mentioned, “It’s a show.”
“When he comes to the plate, you can tell the difference in the stadium and in our dugout,’’ Mendoza said. “People stop what they’re doing and just watch because they don’t want to miss anything. Not even a pitch.”
Watching Soto day by day, his singularity doesn’t come solely from his energy or skill to get on base.
It’s the way in which he takes pitches, wanting them into the glove and infrequently being fooled.
The method begins nicely earlier than he will get into the field.
“His level of thinking of what the pitcher is gonna do is one of a kind,’’ Chavez said. “He’s always one step ahead of the pitcher. He talked about facing [Kodai] Senga one time and he knew what to do with the next pitch. Sometimes, if guys have 50 at-bats against a guy, they might have a good idea of what the pitcher is doing. Soto can do it after one or two at-bats. It’s next level.”
And Chavez is aware of when it’s occurring.
“Sometimes, a guy throws a pitch and Soto lets it go and you see him laughing,’’ Chavez said. “Right there, he’s calculating his next at-bat. And you’re almost sure he’s gonna get him, if he doesn’t do it on the next pitch.”
Each Chavez and Mendoza consider a minimum of a few of Soto’s traits can rub off on his teammates.
“He can influence everyone else in the lineup,’’ Chavez said. “He’s not loud, saying ‘Do this’ or ‘Do that.’ You can just watch him, watch his practice and take things.”
“Guys gravitate towards him,” Mendoza mentioned. “Just by being around him, talking hitting, guys are going to pick things up and get better.”
Nonetheless, as Chavez mentioned, “There’s only one Juan Soto in the world.”
“You can just do what you can do,’’ Chavez said. “I wanted to hit like Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds and I’d try to do it and I’d say, ‘Oh, right, I’m not Ken Griffey Jr. or Barry Bonds.’ But there are things you can do. You might not be able to do what he can, but Soto can definitely help good hitters like Francisco Alvarez and Jesse Winker be the best version of themselves. You just have to pay attention.”
