Soto working on defensive form to match hitting stroke

Juan Soto reached the big leagues in near-record time because of his supremely advanced offensive skills. The Nationals knew his defensive skills in the outfield weren't on par at this point, but they figured that would come with time.

Now that Soto appears to be here to stay, though, the Nats are trying to give him a crash course in some fundamentals in left field. It hasn't necessarily paid off yet, but they hope it does soon.

Wednesday afternoon, long before the rest of the team took the field for batting practice, Soto was out in left field with Bob Henley (who, in addition to coaching third base, is serving as the outfield coach this season). Henley and manager Davey Martinez (a former outfielder) had a particular message for the 19-year-old about how to approach fly balls hit over his head.

"We talked about, after him now, I want him to stop drifting at balls going back," Martinez said. "So that's what they were working on today. But like I said, he's young. First time playing in the major leagues. These are the things we just want to work on with him. He's learning."

Soto has seemed to have some trouble on such plays during his first month in the majors, and it happened again during Wednesday's 3-0 loss. When Adam Jones drove a pitch to deep left-center to lead off the sixth, Soto was slow to catch up to it, then watched as it landed for a double.

"He hit it very good; I just tried to catch it," Soto said. "I jumped early, and then when I came down, the ball just touched my glove. But I'll keep going and will catch another one."

Martinez had a simple bit of advice for his young protégé.

"I always tell him: 'Hey, the easiest way to play the outfield is if you keep your head behind the baseball and don't let the ball get behind you, you'll be fine,'" the manager said.

Soto is a quick study in many aspects of the game, and the Nationals have no reason to believe he won't be able to do the same in this regard. Besides, with a double and a walk Wednesday night, he's hitting .326 with a 1.019 OPS in the majors, tops among all rookies with at least 100 plate appearances.

Soto, though, is determined to contribute in more ways than the most obvious one.

"It's very important not just for me, but for the team to help make plays over there, don't make errors, you make good plays," he said. "I need to help my team win. That's why it's very important."