Sudden fame, success haven't changed driven Soto

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The 21-year-old said what you expect most 21-year-old outfielders to say when asked for their goal upon reporting to spring training.

"I come here to make the team," the young outfielder said. "I'm going to fight for my place. I'm going to keep working hard, keep playing baseball the right way. Because it's a lot of new players, a lot of new outfielders, and you don't want to get comfortable on this team. You want to keep going. I come here to play for one spot, and that's why I'm here."

The quote wouldn't have raised an eyebrow if not for the fact it came out of the mouth of Juan Soto.

Yes, Soto, runner-up for 2018 National League Rookie of the Year. Soto, ninth-place finisher for NL MVP and 2019 postseason hero. Soto, one of only five major leaguers with a .403 on-base percentage and .535 slugging percentage over the last two seasons.

If anyone in Nationals camp is assured of making the team this spring, it's Soto. Yet that mindset - and it's legitimate - is what separates Soto from all the other 21-year-olds out there still trying to make a name for themselves.

"I like that he's thinking that way," manager Davey Martinez said. "We talk about complacency, and when he makes comments like that, I know where he's at. That's a good thing. With that being said, he's going to play left field."

Yeah, there's no question who will be in left field for the Nats on opening day. Or for the vast majority of their games throughout the season (barring injuries).

Soto already was becoming a star in D.C. by the end of the 2019 regular season. Then he became an international superstar with his clutch performance in the postseason that included homers off Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole (twice), plus the go-ahead hit off Josh Hader in the wild card game.

He returned home to the Dominican Republic a sudden celebrity who was being sought after not only by fans but former big league stars who fell in love with their young countryman.

"Yeah, I saw a lot of legends down there in the Dominican," Soto said. "They always come to me like they are my dad. And I feel really proud of that. I feel really amazing. Every (piece of) advice they give to me feels really good."

Even the "Soto Shuffle," his between-pitches routine in the batter's box, has become famous, featured in video games.

That kind of sudden attention and celebrity could be dangerous for most 21-year-olds. Soto, as mentioned, is no ordinary 21-year-old, though. So there is no evidence to date he has let any of this get to his head.

"Nothing changes," he said. "We're the same. My mom treats me the same, my dad the same, my brothers and everything is the same. We made one of my goals, but we're still the same person."

Not that anyone with the Nationals assumed otherwise. Soto is never content with anything he has accomplished. He's always striving for improvement.

"For me, personally, just knowing who he is, and having been with him for a year and a half now, I know who he is and what he's trying to do," Martinez said. "And I know he wants to be the best. He talked about getting better in the outfield. Last year, he got a lot better. But he wants to be the best out there. He talks about continuing to work on his two-strike approach, which he's really good at. But he wants to get better. I know what to expect."

Soto already has lived through a dream season.

"I mean, I'm going to always remember those moments," he said. "They're going to be there forever for me and my whole team. Everything we did, I'm never going to forget. I was on the best team of my life."

And yet you have to believe he's convinced he and the Nationals can somehow top it in 2020.