On most circles, the decision by Major League Baseball to implement a pitch clock has received rave reviews, but don't count San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto as a fan of the rule change.
For the players, it has been a bit of an adjustment getting sped up inside the batter's box, and Soto is having a hard time getting used to the new rule, judging off of his stats so far in the early part of this season.
If anyone is looking for Soto to back down from his criticism of the pitch clock, it's not happening. In fact, he's doubling down on his comments, according to ESPN baseball reporter Aiden Gonzalez (via Twitter).
Per the tweet: “Juan Soto is still having a hard time adjusting to the pitch clock. He specifically lamented there not being enough time coming out of the on-deck circle to get himself ready and begin plate appearances.” ‘There’s no time at all,' Soto says. ‘You can’t even play mind games anymore.'”
The left fielder is batting .172 with three home runs and seven RBIs in the young season, as he struggles to find his footing with the new rule.
To be fair, Soto isn't the only one struggling with the change, but it's no secret why MLB wanted to change a few things. The complaint has been the length of the games, which were over three hours on average before the pitch clock was implemented. So far, around 30 minutes has been shaved off after the rule change.
As with many things in the world, not everyone can be happy with adjustments, but if games are shorter, that means the pitch clock won't go away anytime soon. Soto will have to figure it out, or the trouble in the box will continue.
Follow Us
Subscribe