Soto "so excited" to join Nats; Martinez and Rizzo on his special talent

Nineteen-year-old Juan Soto arrived in the Nationals clubhouse prior to the final game of the series against the Dodgers on Sunday, excited to get a shot at the big leagues. He reflected on the moment on Saturday that Double-A Harrisburg manager Matt LeCroy let him know he was heading to D.C. to play for the Nats.

"I feel pretty good, pretty good," Soto said. "I didn't think it would happen that quick, but I feel pretty good. I'm here. I was so excited. I didn't think that would happen.

"I didn't see the news. I was in the clubhouse and the manager said, 'Hey, you're going to the big leagues!' I was in shock. I didn't even know that was going to happen. I texted all my family. They were happy for me."

It has been a whirlwind rise for Soto to arrive in majors by May 20. At 19, when he enters his first game, he will be the youngest player in Major League Baseball.

Soto played only eight games at Double-A. Last year, he battled through a hamate injury to his hand and an ankle injury, and was limited to only 32 games. This season, he has played 39 total games at low Single-A Hagerstown, high Single-A Potomac and Harrisburg, and is hitting .362 with 14 homers and 52 RBIs between the three stops.

He spoke about the difference in talent level up at Double-A.

"A little bit (of a difference)," Soto said. "They like throw more off-speed for me, for everybody. That's the thing I see. Just be aggressive every time. Look for a good pitch. Be aggressive. Hunt the fastball."

The Nats raved about the assets Soto brought to the table that most players don't yet possess at his age. They don't have the experience of facing so many off-speed pitches and opposing teams not just throwing pitches to him but game-planning how to beat him.

"The biggest thing is when I saw him in spring training, the few times I saw him, is his approach at the plate," said manager Davey Martinez. "His willingness to take his walks. Really his game awareness in the box. He's really good. That allows him to have the at-bats that he's had. I think he's going to be fine up here, I really do. I talked to him earlier. I told him nothing changes. Take your walks. Get pitches in the strike zone. Just be yourself."

General manager Mike Rizzo said Soto does a very nice job of strike zone recognition. Soto has the ability to not be fooled again after missing a pitch the first time.

"That's probably the biggest reason that he is here," Rizzo said. "It's hard to take a young, talented, free-swinging 19-year-old and bring him to the big leagues. I've had the opportunity to bring several 19-year-old players to the big leagues. They had one thing in common: They knew the strike zone. They weren't wild swingers and controlled their at-bats.

"With Justin Upton, with (Bryce) Harper and with Victor Robles, all those guys at 19 years old had a really good feel for the strike zone. We think that Juan has the same capabilities and skill set for that. We think that makes it easier for him to adapt to such an accelerated level."

Soto is here because he is good but also because the Nats had an urgent need. They lost Howie Kendrick (Achilles surgery) and minor leaguer Rafael Bautista (severe knee injury) in about a 20-hour span from Friday into Saturday. Adam Eaton (ankle) and Brian Goodwin (shoulder) already are not available because they are on the disabled list.

"Obviously, circumstances. We've gone through five or six outfielders," Rizzo said. "We got ourselves a young player that is extremely talented and we always have to balance the upside of bringing him to big leagues and improving your big league club and his development. We think that he is ready to take the next step and the next challenge, even after a very short stint in Double-A. We felt because of the circumstances, because of the talent level, he's earned a promotion here. Now the injury factor obviously accelerated the timetable for him.

"We love the kid's makeup. He's a great teammate. He's a very mature player at 19 years old. He's taken to all the levels that we had him at this year. We feel that although there will be a learning curve at the big league level that he should help us win games in the big leagues and develop at the same time which I think is the most important factor."

Martinez did not have Soto in Sunday's lineup with the Nats facing another left-hander. But he expects to play Soto a lot against right-handed pitching and select southpaws.

"Right now, for us, he's going to get a chance to play," Martinez said. "We're probably going to limit his at-bats against lefties or pick and choose left-handed pitchers that would be suitable for him. I want to put him in situations where he can succeed.

"We are happy to have him. He's going to be fine. He really is. I know the players are excited that he is here. He's young, so we've had a young guy here before in the past in Bryce, so he knows what to expect. I told him just help him out."

Rizzo said there is something special about Soto. Rizzo added it doesn't matter how many games the youngster had in the minors: When he's ready, he's ready.

"The pregame preparation is really different than a lot of young players that I've been around," Rizzo said. "He's got a great routine offensively. He prepares himself defensively to be ready to play. I just think the mental aspect of him is he (is) mature beyond his chronological age."

Outfield coordinator Bobby Henley and Martinez will bring Soto out early before Monday's game to work the outfield and catch fly balls from every spot. Soto will likely be a corner outfielder for the Nats, but he said he's comfortable working anywhere in the outfield.

"Just trying to shag a couple of fly balls during BP," Soto said. "That helped me out. That wasn't too hard because in the Dominican, I work in every (outfield) place. Now I play regular like that."