Juan Soto stood in the batter’s box, his right toe touching the ground with his heel just slightly off the dirt.
The left-handed hitter, with a 1-1 count against him, then smashed a home run to right field as a slight drizzle fell at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie.
The Harrisburg (Pa.) Senators outfielder launched the home run Wednesday afternoon against Keegan Akin of the Bowie Baysox, one of the top left-handed pitchers in the Baltimore Orioles’ farm system.
The home run should come as no surprise for Soto, 19, the second-ranked player in the Nationals’ farm system who had been promoted three times already this year.