Hundreds of baseball players make their debut over the course of a season. However, for every Ronald Acuna and Scott Kingery there are dozens of lesser known prospects making their debuts who aren’t as frequently discussed. To remedy that, Austin Bristow II, Adam Garland, Ben Palmer and I will be doing a write-up on every single player making their MLB Debut. Inspired by the Effectively Wild podcast and Andrew Perpetua, we’ll discuss each debut’s skill set, how long they will likely remain in the majors and any other pertinent information you need to know. Each player will also be stored in a spreadsheet featuring further information (bio, D.O.B, player ID’s, etc) that can be accessed at the bottom of the article.
Here is the lone debut from May 20th:
Juan Soto (OF, Washington Nationals, 19 years old)
Call Up Date: May 20th
Role: Bench Depth
Organization Ranking: 2nd
Overall Ranking: 15th
Grades: Hit: 30/55 | Raw Power: 55/60 | Game Power: 30/55 | Run: 45/50 | Fielding: 40/50 | Throw: 55/55
Fantasy Relevance: Worth a flier
So far this year, the 2nd best prospect in the Nationals farm system has been absolutely mashing in the minors. Soto is slashing .362/.462/.757 across A, A+ and AA and the Nats could no longer ignore his 14 HR and 52 RBI over 152 AB. Soto originally signed with the Nationals for $1.5 million – a franchise record for an Latin American teen at the time – at 16 years old. He’s a lefty with a smooth swing and an ability to barrel the ball consistently. While he projects to be an average corner outfield defensively, Soto makes a good amount of hard contact and has above average bat speed. If he can continue to add power in the Majors, he has a very high ceiling. For now, the difficulty for Soto will be adjusting to Major League pitching. He only had one AB in his first game as he was brought in to pinch hit and struck out. With the injuries to Howie Kendrick and Adam Eaton, I don’t see him being sent down any time soon but if yesterday’s debut against Alex Wood is any indication he may very well be platooned against left-handed pitchers. Even still, if you have the room for Soto and K’s aren’t punished too much in your league, he has a high enough upside that he should be added to your squad.
Missed a player’s debut? Read detailed reports on all 2018 MLB debuts in this spreadsheet.
