Padres News: Juan Soto Feels Like His 2020 Self, Credits Off-Season Work

Soto looking to have huge year for the Friars !

In the world of professional sports, recency bias is one of the best and worst components depending on how you look at it. If a star has a good stretch of games or even a dominant stretch of years, they are praised and loved by analysts all around. However, with that praise will soon come a certain set of standards and if said players do not live up them, those same analysts will quickly change their opinion.

I believe Juan Soto has fallen victim to this but also has a great opportunity to overcome all the negative noise that surrounded his play last season. The San Diego Padres shocked the league by pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade that brought the 24-year-old to Petco Park in exchange for a good amount of their young talent.

Soto was seen as an immediate game-changer for the Friars and the thought of him teaming up with an MVP-level talent in Manny Machado had opposing franchises scrambling to figure out how they would deal with them. However, even though the Padres had a great 2022 run, it was clear that Soto needed time to adjust. Instead of giving him time to get comfortable in a new setting, the media along with fans had a lot to say about their new stars' regressed production.

San Diego fans should be very excited what Soto will bring in 2023 too though as he has looked great in both Spring Training and the World Baseball classic. He has been highly successful at the plate and revealed that he feels like his old self in an interview with '97.3 The Fan.'

Juan Soto says he’s seeing the ball “way different” than he did last year and that his mechanics were “off” during all of last season. Soto compares how he’s feeling now to Spring Training in 2020.

Soto: “Just amazing how I’m seeing the ball.” pic.twitter.com/8r3yE34xxq

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) March 17, 2023

"The way I'm seeing the ball compared to last year is just way different," said Soto. "Right now, I'm feeling like 2020 Spring Training. It's amazing how I'm seeing the ball. Mechanically, I was off last year. I think I've really found it again."

It looks like everything is coming together for the Friars right as the season opener rolls around. The preseason odds may just be correct in giving San Diego great chances to win the World Series.