You know GP still has nothing but love for Juan Soto, and he’s also a baseball savant and social media devourer – so when he came across a clip our sibling station WFAN posted of their midday co-host, Sal Licata, chastising Soto for looking for walks?
Let’s just break the fourth wall and say it put this intrepid digital director, who also has to work with Sal in NYC, in a tough spot between two hosts.
“I saw this all around the internet yesterday about Licata going nuts and being angry about Juan Soto taking walks in big spots, also known as getting on base and producing offensively, in these huge spots, but I had to play this clip for you,” GP said before playing the clip (which you can hear all over the Audacy app, btw).
‘Passing the baton is not what I'm looking for from Juan Soto, I'm looking for him to do some damage’ was the key line for Grant, because even understanding he’s hitting in front of a cold Aaron Judge…well, yeah.
“He had the nerve and the audacity in a big spot to walk up to the plate and to look to have a quality at bat. This dummy, Soto! He wants to have a quality bat. How dumb is he? That’s his job, that’s what he’s there for,” GP said. “I couldn't believe this when I saw it. You don't deserve Juan Soto, New York. The Yankees are 10-3, and Juan Soto, who is walking too much and not hitting enough, is hitting .360 hits with a 1.008 OPS and is getting on base 47% of the time. On top of that, Juan Soto’s superpower is his ability to have great at-bats every time at the plate; the last few years before he was traded or in the ninth inning in the World Series with a couple of guys on, he's the same guy. He's not gonna get out of his game or swing at balls. He's got a better eye than just about any umpire in Major League Baseball, and he's gonna spit on tough pitches. You went and got Juan Soto, and Juan Soto showed up. He's here to have great at-bats – occasionally, that means take a lot of walks, more than anyone else in baseball every single year – and chew bubble gum, and he's all out of bubble gum. You're upset because…checking my notes here…he got on base in a big spot? Okay, sure.”
“Who leads the team in RBIs? Yes, he does, Juan Soto from the two hole,” Danny Rouhier piped in. “Here's the flip of this, and why I find this so grating: let’s say Juan Soto comes up in a big spot, swings at three breaking balls in the dirt, and the inning ends…”
And Danny, master of impressions, tried – and it wasn’t a great Sal, but here it was:
“Guy’s up there chasin’, he's up there trying to be a hero. He's up there trying to do…who are ya, Babe Ruth? Mickey DiMaggio, like two of the greatest of all-time coming into one because you're just trying to hit home runs trying to get paid?” DR said. “The numbers are sparkling. This isn't even the early-season pressing Juan Soto we got a couple of times and we kept telling everybody to be patient – he’s tearing it up. He is outstanding. He leads the team in hits and RBIs, second in walks to Aaron Judge; are you mad at Aaron Judge for taking 14 walks? Are you getting pissy at all that the Judge needs to slam his gavel, swing the bat? What are we doing?”
“You don't deserve him. The 25-year-old sensation with a great smile, the Soto Shuffle…find a new home this offseason if they're going to be angry because you're taking walks in big spots,” GP replied. “And what's particularly hilarious about it is look at that lineup: Soto in the two-hole getting on is a massive win going into a heart of the order starting with an MVP-caliber player in Judge who can jump yard on any pitch. If this was the Nationals of 2021 and you wanted to say I need Juan to swing at bad pitches and to hit for a lower average and be more aggressive because no one's ever gonna move him along or drive him in when he gets on base, and him walking does nothing because the team around him is terrible…I still think that's a stupid point and a bad analysis, but at least you're coming from the perspective of he's a one-man army, and you're either gonna produce the runs or no one is. It's the Yankees, man.”