Soto Looks For Big Season in the Bronx
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Matthew Kennedy
Yankee fans have been clamoring into the stands to watch the Bronx Bombers compete in their first games of spring training. As many diehard fans will tell you about the preseason, it’s not about the record as much as it is the energy being emitted both on and off the field. From the clubhouse all the way to the bleachers, the beginning of spring training sets the tone for the season to come.
And so far the energy has been exuberant. The new additions seem to be meshing well with the veterans, and there’s a feeling of freshness all around the clubhouse that screams, “this year will not be like the last”. This newfound vibrancy has already reached the fans, who, of course, grow more excited with each passing moment. Their confidence will hopefully drive the players to start off the season with a bang. When Yankee fans believe in their team so strongly this early on, good things usually happen. Their hope is contagious, and the players feel it every time they step up to the plate.
Front and center is the new kid in town – 25 year old Juan Soto, who is New York’s most hyped free agent addition since some shortstop from Texas. Everything Soto does is shaping his image in the eyes of the Empire. His smile, swing, and aura are already infectious. It’s no surprise his No. 22 jersey is the best selling by a mile, and every time he steps out of the dugout for a hack, there’s hundreds of kids, and dozens of adults, screaming to get his attention.
Still, the pressure is just beginning – as the prophesied “missing link”, Soto will undoubtedly feel the hopes of every fanatic clinging to each one of his swings. But in Yankee Stadium, stars rise to the occasion, using the expectations of greatness that have been cultivated through generations of winning, to perform.
