14 home runs/50 RBIs → 21 home runs/88 RBIs, half-year salary cut and transferred to the fourth batter, and Soto Chiba Lotte's eighth season in the NPB next year
14 home runs/50 RBIs → 21 home runs/88 RBIs, half-year salary cut and transferred to the fourth batter, and Soto Chiba Lotte's eighth season in the NPB next year
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He will play in the Chiba Lotte Marines uniform next year. The 36-year-old veteran marks the eighth season in the Japanese pro baseball league. The Chiba Lotte Giants announced on Sunday that they have agreed to renew contract with foreign hitter Neftali Soto (35). Puerto Rican infielder Soto moved from Yokohama BayStars to Chiba Lotte last winter and became the best hitter ever.
Soto said, "I'm so happy to be back at Chiba Lotte next year. I will do my best with my teammates to win the title, which I failed to achieve this year."
The Chiba Lotte Marines ranked third in the Pacific League this year. It reached the climax series for the third consecutive year. The season of fall baseball ended short. The team was blocked by the Nippon-Ham Fighters, the second-ranked team in the league, in the first stage (best of two games). In the first game, the team garnered a 2-0 win and lost for two consecutive games. In the second game, the team suffered a walk-off loss in the bottom of the 10th inning of overtime, and in the third game, the team led 2-0 and lost 5-2.
With his batting pace falling, Soto showed sluggish performance. He had no hit in 10 times at bat in three games of the first stage. Chiba Lotte and Soto, the fourth batter, also swallowed their disappointment.
In his first year after moving from the Central League, he showed his presence as a key hitter. He played in 132 games and recorded a batting average of 269, 132 hits, 21 homers, 88 RBIs, and 0.780 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). He led the team's offense along with Gregory Polanco, who moved from the Yomiuri Giants in 2023.
With runners at the top of scoring position, he was strong. His batting average in scoring position is .321. He was followed by Hotaka Yamakawa of the Softbank Hawks in RBIs. He ranked third in batting average, fourth in homers and eighth in hits. He was the best hitter at Chiba Lotte this season.
Soto, who made his debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2013, played two seasons in the major leagues and played in 34 games. He mostly stayed in the minor leagues. He left his short major league career behind in 2018 and entered Japan and blossomed.
He immediately adapted to the new league and burst his potential. He had a batting average of 310-95 RBIs and 41 homers in 2018 and 269-43 homers and 108 RBIs in 2019. He has become a two-time home run and RBI champion for two consecutive years. He surpassed 20 homers for four consecutive years from 2018 to 2021.
The annual salary also increased significantly depending on the performance. It started at 35 million yen (320 million yen) in the first year and went up to 325 million yen in 2023. It jumped 10 times.
He has slowed down since 2022, his fifth year as a member of the club. He posted 17 home runs-49 RBIs that year and 14 home runs-50 RBIs in 2023. Last year's batting average fell to 234 percent. Yokohama released him as a free agent. 메이저놀이터
He left Yokohama and made a fresh start at the Chiba Lotte Marines. His annual salary fell from 325 million yen (2.94 billion won or 2.94 billion won) to 150 million yen (1.35 billion won or 1.35 billion yen). Consequently, changing the environment has led to his success.