Blanco shows what being a teammate is all about by mentoring Soto

September 22, 2007 by cubsfaninky

http://tinyurl.com/2xfoqr

I think it shows a lot about Blanco as a person that he is willing to take Soto, a kid who is taking playing time from him, under his wing, and it says a lot about Soto that he is mature enough to listen. No one has ever doubted that Soto had the physical skills to be a good defensive catcher as long as he was willing to stay in shape, and I can't think of anyone better to mentor Soto on the nuances of catching big league pitchers and shutting down big league base runners than Blanco. Any catcher thought so highly of by Greg Maddux is bound to have something to say that is worth listening to, and like most who have caught Maddux, Blanco has often stated how much he learned from his years with Maddux. Just as I would like to be within earshot when Maddux is giving very cerebral/intellectual insights into the game, so would I like to be around when Blanco is tutoring Soto.

Blanco, of course, is not the only one losing playing time to Soto. Soto's bat may be starting to push Jason Kendall aside. Piniella is known to ride the hot hand, and Soto started for the third straight game today. If Piniella makes it four straight, that may suggest a trend. As for whether or not Soto is the leagues next great offensive catcher, that remains to be seen.

Soto's numbers in AAA are impressive, but as I said in another post. He has never done anything like this at the plate before. Was this type of ability within him all along just waiting to get out, or are we seeing an aberration? Soto simply does not have enough major league at-bats to tell. As soon as he has had enough at-bats, the league will adjust to him like it does any hitter. The question is whether or not Soto has the ability to adjust back. Rick Wilkins did not, and neither have a lot of other young Cubs hitters over the years. We can only hope that Soto will be the exception and not the rule.

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