The guy is on fire. Like the contents of his bong.
He's hotter than his one-hitter at a Cypress Hill concert.
He (has a slugging percentage that) is so fucking high right now!
Sorry. Anyway, here were Soto's numbers through June 3:
AB----R----H---2B--3B---HR---RBI---BB---SO---BA---OBP---SLG---OPS
129---10--27---4----0----1-----12----23---30--.209--.335--.264--.599
At that point, Lou Piniella decided that Soto needed "a mental break." In announcing that Soto would be out of the lineup for the next few games, Piniella also went out of his way to give his catcher a public vote of confidence:
"Obviously, Geo is my No. 1 catcher ... He came in to find out what my thinking was, and I told him I was giving him a little mental breather. Sometimes with a young player, opposed to fighting it, it's better to get him out of there for a few days."Soto returned to the lineup on June 6. His numbers since:
AB----R----H---2B--3B---HR---RBI---BB---SO---BA---OBP---SLG---OPS
56-----7---16---4----0----6----12-----6----13--.286--.349--.679--1.028
While Soto's on-base percentage hasn't changed much,* his slugging percentage has practically tripled. His power, which was completely absent for the first two months of the season, has returned with a vengeance.
* This is mostly because Soto's walk rate has dropped dramatically, going from 1 every 6.74 plate appearances to 1 every 10.5 PA. When you're hitting the ball with as much authority as he is, relying on walks just to get yourself on base becomes a much less appealing option.
Can we be entirely certain that Lou's little hiatus led to Soto's rejuvenation? No, we can't. But I give managers (and coaches) a lot of shit for all the crap they do wrong. It's only fair to give them credit when they do something that goes so gloriously right.
So Lou Piniella, on behalf of Geovany Soto, this bud's for you.
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