Soto acclimates quickly to No. 2 spot, homers

JUPITER, Fla. -- Manager Dave Martinez is glad whenever he writes Juan Soto’s name into the Nationals’ starting lineup. After jotting it into the third and fourth spot for the majority of Soto’s first four Major League seasons, Martinez was pleased with how it looked on Wednesday in the No. 2 spot.

“I kind of like it like this,” Martinez said before the Nationals’ 3-2 loss to the Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. “We’re going to tinker with it and see where it’s at.”

Soto responded to the change by blasting a first-inning solo home run to center field off a 97.6 mph fastball with a full count against Sandy Alcantara, the slugger's first dinger of Spring Training.

“Obviously, today Soto did it himself,” said starter Patrick Corbin, who tossed four scoreless innings. “In the two-hole, he’s going to have more at-bats on the year. I think as many at-bats as we can get him is a positive for us.”

Martinez is toying with the idea of moving Soto up in the order to bat behind the leadoff hitter, which is likely to be second baseman César Hernández. Last season, Soto hit third in 116 of his 151 games played, compiling a .330/.484/.589 slash line, a 1.072 OPS and 89 RBIs in 394 at-bats at that spot.

Batting in the No. 2 spot would present a significant bump in offensive opportunities for the slugger, who led all players in on-base percentage in 2021. Martinez estimates Soto could see between 30 and 35 additional at-bats if he was hitting second. The skipper also recounted games last season in which Soto was one batter away at the final out. Of the Nats’ 84 losses when they were at the plate for the final out last season, Soto was on deck in 11 of them when the final out was recorded.

“He [Martinez] was telling me, it’s a big chance to keep the game going and keep the game alive when I’m hitting second,” Soto said. “So, let’s try it.”

A batting order change would involve a shift in mentality for Soto. Hitting second is about more than producing RBIs. It’s about connecting for a hit or -- in the case of the league leader in bases on balls -- drawing a walk. This would boost RBI production potential for the anticipated number three, four and five hitters: Nelson Cruz, Josh Bell and Keibert Ruiz.

“It won’t be always bringing people home,” Soto said. “It’s going to be more getting on base and letting those guys bring me in.”

While some of the most talented hitters have traditionally hit in the three-hole, No. 2 batters have dominated there as well -- so much so, they have garnered Most Valuable Player Award honors. Dating back to the 2017 season, Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and Christian Yelich all hit in the two-spot more often than in any other lineup position during their MVP campaigns. Freddie Freeman and Jose Altuve also saw significant time hitting second in their award-winning seasons. Soto finished second place last season in NL MVP voting.