Geovany Soto was voted the top rookie in the National League for the month of April. Also in the running was Kosuke Fukudome.
In the month of April, Soto hit .341, had 5 HR and 20 RBI’s. His OPS (On-base plus slugging percentage) was 1.059. Soto came up late last season to share the dish with Koyie Hill and batted .389 with 3 HR and 8 RBI’s in 18 games.
What I appreciate the most about Soto is how much of an improvement he is compared to Jason Kendall. In the 52 games before he was traded to Oakland, Kendall gave up 52 stolen bases and only threw out 5 baserunners. That’s a success rate under 9%. This year, Soto has given up 15 stolen bases and thrown out 10 baserunners. Soto’s rate of throwing out baserunners is 40%. I just remember teams running all over Kendall, so it’s nice to have a legitimate threat behind the plate.
Soto Catches Gillette Rookie Honor
Filed under: Catchers | Tagged: April, Fukudome, Geovany Soto, Jason Kendall, Koyie Hill, National League Rookie of the Month, Oakland, OPS, Stolen Bases |
Ivy Envy 
I am/was a big Kendall fan. Sure, he wasn’t the best at throwing out base stealers, but he brought a lot to the team in other areas.
I heard he was great in bed…
I thought you were a Kendall fan. I never really liked him. I’ve always thought that when a catcher gives up that many free bases, it kind of takes away anything he can do with a bat in his hand. But he didn’t do much with a bat in his hand….57 games, .270 1HR and 19RBI’s.
But you know, we are all drawn to certain players. My intention isn’t to discredit your appreciation for him. I mean, my favorite Cub can’t hit anything bigger than a single and is sitting in Triple A.
Of course, .270 isn’t a horrible batting average… especially for a catcher. Kendall also was fearless about getting hit with a pitch, something that doesn’t show up in the stats column. Reed Johnson’s style reminds me of that aspect of Kendall. Yeah, I wish Murton would make it back!