Juan Soto

October 25, 2024

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Juan Soto, born on October 25, 1998, and known by many as “Childish Bambino,” is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. He began his professional career in 2018 and has since done very well for himself. Today, we celebrate him with some fun and entertaining insights.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Juan José Soto Pacheco

Nickname:

Childish Bambino

Birth date:

October 25, 1998

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Scorpio

Height:

6' 2"

Relationship Status:

Single

Net Worth:

$10 million

Background

Juan José Soto Pacheco is a professional baseball player, also known as “Childish Bambino,” who was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His father, Juan Soto, Sr., was a catcher in a local men’s league and motivated Soto to pursue baseball from a young age. In 2015, Soto signed with the Washington Nationals as an international free agent, and he made his professional debut in 2016 with the Gulf Coast League Nationals.

In 2018, after playing for a few different teams, Soto made his Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) debut and was the runner-up for the ‘NL Rookie of the Year”’ Award. In 2019, he was an integral part of the Nationals’ first World Series championship, and in 2020, he won the National League batting title with a .351 average. In 2022, Soto signed a deal with the Padres for $17.1 million — pretty impressive for the young player.

Soto has been praised for his exceptional play of baseball, as well as his “two-strike approach,” in which he extends his grip down the bat handle and assumes a more sweeping, lower stance, sometimes depicted as a crouch, in the batter’s box. Soto has also managed to grow a strong following on social media, with behind-the-scenes videos on TikTok, for which he has over 140 thousand followers, and pictures on Instagram where he has over 600 thousand followers. Soto is still young and only has a few years under his professional belt to date, but we are keen to see what he does next in his already fruitful career.

Career timeline

2015

His Washington Nationals Signing

Soto signs with the Washington Nationals as an international free agent.

2016

His Professional Career Debut

He makes his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Nationals.

2018

Major League Baseball

Soto starts his career as a Major League Baseball player.

2022

A New Contract Deal

He signs with the Padres for $17.1 million.

Why We Love Juan Soto

His family are his biggest fans
His family, and especially his father, are his biggest fans and cheerleaders. They are often in the stands when he plays and he always tries to give his 100% when they are present.
He takes advantage of his success
Soto has become known for his excellent playing style, and he is using the hype to further his career by opening a limited edition store online where you can buy hoodies inscribed with his “Soto Shuffle” as well as his signature stance while playing.
He is fun-loving
If you follow Soto online, you will see that he is a very fun and always-smiling guy, posting pictures of his daily life as well as some game-day images for fans to get to know him better.

5 Surprising Facts

He’s pretty international
Soto partook in the M.L.B. Japan All-Star Series.
He has a special move
He has a move he does in baseball called the “Soto Shuffle,” which involves Soto "swinging his hips, wiping the dirt with a wide arc of his leg, tapping his leg, hopping, or lowering himself into a squat and staring at the pitcher."
He is the “Childish Bambino”
His nickname is a mash-up of Donald Glover's rap name “Childish Gambino” and Babe Ruth's title of “The Great Bambino.”
He is making history
He is the fourth player ever in the history of M.L.B. to record 100 extra-base hits before the age of 21.
He has a favorite meal
His favorite meal is pastelón de plátano maduro, which is ribs and plantain lasagna.