Padres' Juan Soto and Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. share a lot — including a rivalry
Before San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto even sat down at the ‘MLB on FOX’ crew desk for an interview on Monday, he handed out some trading cards to National Baseball Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and David Ortiz, former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and FOX host Kevin Burkhardt.
The 2022 Home Run Derby champion seemed at ease as he settled in for his interview during MLB All-Star Week in Seattle; a far cry from how he remembers feeling during past All-Star breaks.
Padres' Juan Soto & Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. join Derek Jeter and the 'MLB on FOX' crew leading up to the All-Star Game
"In the past, I just went there and tried to put on a show," Soto told MLB.com. "This one, I'm just going to try to enjoy it as much as I can. Instead of putting on a show, just enjoy the show."
And that’s just what he seems to be doing.
The National League All-Star, who will serve as a reserve during Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game, was joined at the table by National League rival and fellow NL All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr., who was named a starter. The two bantered back and forth in Spanish with Rodriguez and Ortiz, and delivered candid responses to questions about their rivalry and postseason aspirations.
The Padres currently sit at fourth in the NL West (43-47) and the Braves lead the NL East (60-29). The two teams faced off in April with the Padres taking the series four games to two, and Soto was quick to remind Acuña of the victory when the two were asked about their postseason expectations.
"I think San Diego is — we have everything that we need to go all the way to the World Series and win it. We just got to get it together, play hard, and beat the Braves," Soto said with a smirk toward Acuña. "We done it this year already. We win the series already. It’s not going to be (an) easy series or anything. We just got to go out there and play hard to every team and try to beat everybody."
Acuña agreed with Soto's sentiment that the Padres would have to go through him and the Braves to get to the World Series title.
"He say that he don’t know about San Diego," Ortiz said as he translated from for Acuña. "They got to beat him first. But, they had a team that is very compact. They have good pitching. Their offense has been unbelievable. And, they just are working on trying to stay healthy, so they can get through the season."
Both Soto and Acuña have been putting in the work to reach new milestones this season. Soto currently has 15 home runs and 47 RBIs, posting a slash line of .265/.419/.479 — with that .419 on-base percentage ranking second in MLB behind the Marlins' Luis Arreaz. He credits his high quality of play to getting back to basics and working on his fundamentals.
"I’ve been working on all my mechanics and everything," said the left fielder. "Trying to figure out my path, my swing — how to make contact with the ball and everything … It’s just got to click one time, and then you’re gonna figure it out."
Soto’s recent tear may help the Padres as they fight to move up in the standings, but the team will still have a giant obstacle to overcome in Acuña and the Braves. The Braves superstar is the clear frontrunner for NL MVP, and has hit 21 home runs, driven in 55 RBIs and stolen 41 bases while playing stellar defense.
Acuna said he continues to work on his game every day and has even received help from the father of one of Soto’s teammates.
"He say that he worked with Fernando Tatís Jr.’s father during the offseason in the Dominican Republic, and that helped him out a lot with his swing, his balance, you know, his mindset," Ortiz said. "And that’s why he’s going through what he’s going through right now."
Although they may be rivals any other day, during All-Star Week, the two outfielders will be teammates. They expressed their mutual respect for each other’s game.
When asked by Rodriguez to name two things they admired about the other, Acuña answered, [Juan’s] "discipline and poise and ability to hit for power." Soto said it was his fellow All-Star’s speed and IQ running the bases.
"He’s just unbelievable. I feel like that’s one of the things I admire most, and every time he’s at second base, believe me, I’m right behind the shortstop. The ball hit at me, just make sure I can throw him out at home at the plate."
The National League will play the American League in the MLB All-Star Game at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app.
