Cubs have lofty aspirations for Soto
Perhaps talking about next year is just a habit with Cubs fans, especially me, but none the less, the comments on Soto are interesting. His catching skills have always been considered solidly above average. He does everything you want a catcher to do behind the plate well, but nothing about his offensive skills has indicated that he could be anything special until this season.
His minor league career averages of .279/.359/.426 over 7 seasons and 1959 AB is respectable, but does not suggest he would be more than adequate, but then there is this season. .353/.424/.652 over 385 AB is exceptional for any player, but especially a catcher. Are these numbers an aberration, or are they the sign of a serious uptrend? Has Soto's bat finally caught up to his catching skills? In this day and age, the increase in power alone make you wonder if he did it all naturally, but according to the story, Soto has actually lost weight, not gained. I can't find any hard evidence to substantiate or disprove this claim. Depending upon what website you are looking at, Soto is listed anywhere from 190 to 230, and I have not seen any website that lists his 2006 playing weight.
Only time will tell if Soto's 2007 numbers are legitimate signs of a hitter coming into his own. For this reason alone, I would not mind seeing Kendall resigned as long as it could be done reasonably and with the understanding that he is here to be a stable pony. This way Soto can be worked in slowly versus being thrown to the wolves.
Soto doing it 'naturally'
In this day and age, the increase in power alone make you wonder if he did it all naturally....
Honestly, this never even crossed my mind. Whatever his weight may be, the minors have a pretty rigorous testing regimen as I understand it. Soto (and anyone else) deserves to be regarded without suspicion until there is evidence otherwise.
And no, I don't consider improved performance to be evidence of anything.
Besides that, I'd argue that Soto's minor league record is more impressive than you're giving him credit for. He's always shown good patience at the plate, and he's always been on the young side for the leagues he's been in. Although I agree that the extent of his power increase this year has been suprising, I don't think it's surprising at all that he's shown great improvement after spending a third year in AAA at the age of 24. I think he's the best catching prospect that Cubs have had in a long, long time.
re: Soto doing it 'naturally'
I suspect he is ala natural, if for no other reason than juciers typically gain weight, not lose, but he's still never shown any signs of the season he just put together. I just hate to fall for this kid the way we have so many others.