Juan Soto advocates for Gerardo Parra to throw out first pitch Opening Day

When Gerardo Parra signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, one player among those most disappointed he wouldn’t be returning to the Nationals was leftfielder Juan Soto.

At 21 years old, Soto and his jubilant personality attached to Parra’s fun-loving antics like a magnet. The star outfielder embraced the dugout dance parties and “Baby Shark” hit celebrations. But heading into 2020, Soto has been forced to come to terms with playing without Parra in D.C.

“We’re gonna miss him on the Nationals,” Soto told NBC Sports Washington’s Matt Doolin on the Nationals Talk podcast. “I was talking to him at his house…we’re gonna work on the golf…he told me he wants me to get that and help me do that and I’m gonna work on that.”

Strasburg, Soto share postseason MVP from New York writers

NEW YORK (AP) — Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg and Nationals outfielder Juan Soto have been selected as joint winners of the Babe Ruth award as postseason MVP in voting by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

They will be honored at the chapter’s 97th annual dinner on Jan. 25 in Manhattan.

Mets rookie Pete Alonso was named recipient of the Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town award and the Ben Epstein/Dan Castellano Good Guy award on Wednesday. The Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu was selected New York player of the year.

Mets broadcaster Ron Darling, who returned to the TV booth in June following treatment for thyroid cancer, will receive the Arthur and Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart award. Yankees radio play-by-play broadcaster John Sterling, whose streak ended in July after 30 years and 5,060 consecutive regular season and postseason games, will get the Casey Stengel You Could Look It Up award.

For those of us curious as for just how many baseball awards are out there….

Baseball’s unwritten rules? Juan Soto grabs his crotch at them, and here’s hoping he starts a revolu

Someday, baseball will allow itself to evolve beyond the puritanical Hester Prynne routine that unfolds every time a player exhibits a little personality. Apostates and reprobates are expected to piously denounce their vile sins against The Game, which above all else, must be Respected.

Like Originalists expressing slavish devotion to their interpretations of the Founding Fathers, these self-appointed stewards seem intent on locking the game in the 18th century.

Praise be, then, that baseball’s next generation of stars appears determined to shake the shackles of condemnation. One of them just helped the Washington Nationals win the World Series.

If you hadn’t heard much about Juan Soto a month ago, the secret’s out now. The newly 21-year-old star is a generational talent. Last year, he became the first teenager ever to post a .400 on base percentage. He duplicated the feat at age 20, joining Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Mel Ott, and Al Kaline, as well as the all-time great Alex Rodriguez.

Juan Soto blasts historic home run - just as his hitting coach guaranteed

Juan Soto was the best teenage hitter in Major League Baseball history, and he might be the best 20-year old hitter in MLB history, too.

His exploits at the plate over the past two seasons have ranged from impressive to historic, and everything in between.

He grew his legend even more Tuesday evening, launching a jaw-dropping home run to the train tracks in Houston.

This is a flat-out bomb. Left-handed hitters just don’t hit home runs to this part of Minute Maid Park.

Jack Flaherty, Juan Soto and more fresh faces to watch during the 2019 MLB playoffs

A new baseball postseason brings with it a chance for new players to have their star moment.

Around Major League Baseball right now, there are quite a few young players who have had stellar seasons and are now ready to approach the biggest month of the season — when the lighters are brighter, the headlines are bigger and the whole nation is watching.

Sure, we’ll see the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Alex Bregman, Max Scherzer and Aaron Judge playing October baseball. But we’ll also see stars-in-the-making like Jack Flaherty, Juan Soto, Yordan Alvarez and Gavin Lux.

Our crew of MLB writers picked one such fresh face from each postseason team, names you should know about as you prepare for baseball’s exciting final month.

Note to self: Check back in when the playoffs are over, to see how well they performed during it.

Only 20 Years Old, Soto ‘Way Above His Years’

• Soto is one of only three players with two 20-homer seasons before his 21st birthday. The others were Tony Conigliaro (1964-65) and former Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper (2012-13).

• Only two players have hit more home runs than Soto (50, entering Thursday) before their 21st birthday—Mel Ott (61) and Conigliaro (56). Soto has a chance to pass both with a strong finish to the season.

• Soto is the only player in MLB history with multiple seasons of 20 homers and 70 RBIs before turning 21.

• Ott, Ken Griffey Jr. and Soto are the lone MLB players to have an RBI streak of seven games at 20 years or younger.

• Ott is the only player with five multihomer games before turning 21. Soto, Conigliaro and Harper each have four.

Soto is in some very elite company on the Age-20 Leaderboard.