Blue Jays Nation’s 2024 Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 32: Randy Soto

Aug 22, 2024, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 22, 2024, 12:43 EDT

In this article, we’ll look at the breakout prospect from the 2024 Dominican Summer League team.

This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual Mid-Season top prospect list, where we’ll look at the 35 best prospects in the Blue Jays system. We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and other publication’s scouting reports if available.

Let’s take a look at our 32nd-best prospect, Randy Soto.

Getting to know Randy Soto…

Position: Catcher/First base

Bats: Switch

Born: November 16, 2006

Acquired: 2024 International Free Agency

Previous ranking: Not ranked

I always like to throw in a top performer in the Dominican Summer League in our list, and this time, I’ve included Randy Soto. The Blue Jays and Soto agreed to terms on a minor league contract on the opening day of the International Free Agency for an undisclosed total.

Starting his career in the Dominican Summer League, as many Latin American youngsters do, the 17-year-old slashed .269/.485/.351 with no home runs. However, he hit 11 doubles in 194 plate appearances and had a higher BB% (22.7%) than K% (13.4%), always a good sign for the level.

For players with 100 or more plate appearances in the Blue Jays minor league system, his 149 wRC+ ranked second only behind Spencer Horwitz, who absolutely tore up Triple-A before an early June call-up. In his 47 games, Soto only failed to reach base three times, and in one of those games, he was a defensive replacement without a plate appearance.

Soto is a switch hitter, but his stats as a left-handed batter are better than his numbers as a righty. Batting from the left side, Soto slashed .285/.488/.379 with 11 doubles against right-handed pitching. On the right side, Soto only had 29 plate appearances, slashing .158/.448/.158 with no extra-base hits. It’s worth noting that DSL stats can sometimes be hit or miss, so keep this in mind.

The 17-year-old bat is clearly his best tool, at least from a statistical standpoint. While he didn’t hit a home run this past season, Soto is listed at 5’10”, 160 lbs and could easily put on some more muscle.

Defensively, he split his time between catcher and first base. Behind the plate, he played 19 games and appeared in 23 of them, making four errors and throwing out 26.7% of would-be base stealers, a solid number. However, he allowed six passed balls and an undefined total of wild pitches. At first base, Soto started 22 games and appeared in 23, making three errors in the 172 innings he appeared in.