Juan Soto is a throwback.
It’s not solely because of his skill with a bat in hand, though that’s certainly an impressive attribute. Soto hit a solid .313 for the Nationals this year after putting up an otherworldly .351 average during the truncated 2020 season.
But what’s really unusual is his knowledge of the strike zone and his discipline at the plate. Soto has walked more frequently than he has struck out during his four-year career: 373 BB vs. 352 SO. His margin was especially wide in 2021 — 145 walks and 93 strikeouts.
You know how rare it is to walk more frequently than whiffing? Only three batters with at least 324 plate appearances (two per game) managed the feat this year: Soto, Yasmani Grandal of the White Sox, and Tony Kemp of the Athletics.
And that’s why Soto is a throwback. He would have been a perfect fit 60 years ago, back when baseball was entering what I call its modern era. Forty-nine batters who made at least 324 plate appearances finished with more walks than strikeouts in the 1961 season, a time when swinging from the heels was less in fashion than it is today.
Just think about the amazing disparity: 49 batters posted ratios of more than 1.000 walks per strikeout in 1961, a year when 18 big-league teams took the field. The count dwindled to only three batters above 1.000 by 2021, even though the number of teams (and hence the number of players) had grown by 67%.
Soto is especially notable because of the massive gap between his totals in the BB and SO columns. He ended 2021 with 1.559 walks per strikeouts, a ratio that easily topped the National League, where no other batter did better than Freddie Freeman’s 0.794 BB/SO.
Grandal (1.061 BB/SO) and Kemp (1.020) were the frontrunners in the American League, though they came nowhere close to Soto’s performance. Both finished with slightly more walks than strikeouts — surpluses of five for Grandal, one for Kemp.
Walks per strikeout is a common measure of a pitcher’s control, though it’s rarely cited for batters. But I think it’s an equally valid indicator of discipline for the latter. The 10 best performances (and the 10 worst) in each league are shown below, with all lists confined to batters who went to the plate at least 324 times in 2021.
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American League top 10
1. Yasmani Grandal, White Sox, 1.061 BB/SO
2. Tony Kemp, Athletics, 1.020
3. Luis Arraez, Twins, 0.896
4. Yuli Gurriel, Astros, 0.868
5. Carlos Santana, Royals, 0.843
6. Alex Bregman, Astros, 0.830
7. Jose Ramirez, Indians, 0.828
8. Yandy Diaz, Rays, 0.812
9. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, 0.782
10. Matt Olson, Athletics, 0.779
National League top 10
1. Juan Soto, Nationals, 1.559 BB/SO
2. Freddie Freeman, Braves, 0.794
3. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, 0.791
4. Jurickson Profar, Padres, 0.754
5. Bryce Harper, Phillies, 0.746
6. Wilmer Flores, Giants, 0.732
7. Corey Seager, Dodgers, 0.727
8. Jesse Winker, Reds, 0.707
9. Adam Frazier, Pirates-Padres, 0.696
10. Max Muncy, Dodgers, 0.692
American League bottom 10
1. Juan Lagares, Angels, 0.158 BB/SO
2. Adolis Garcia, Rangers, 0.165
2. Salvador Perez, Royals, 0.165
4. Bobby Dalbec, Red Sox, 0.179
5. Gio Urshela, Yankees, 0.183
6. Tim Anderson, White Sox, 0.185
7. Harold Castro, Tigers, 0.194
8. Willi Castro, Tigers, 0.211
9. Eric Haase, Tigers, 0.218
10. Anthony Santander, Orioles, 0.228
National League bottom 10
1. Kevin Pillar, Mets, 0.136 BB/SO
2. Javier Baez, Cubs-Mets, 0.152
3. Adam Duvall, Marlins-Braves, 0.201
4. Patrick Wisdom, Cubs, 0.209
5. Jackie Bradley Jr., Brewers, 0.212
6. Tyler O'Neill, Cardinals, 0.226
6. Brendan Rodgers, Rockies, 0.226
8. Kyle Farmer, Reds, 0.227
9. Jazz Chisholm, Marlins, 0.234
10. Edmundo Sosa, Cardinals, 0.270