Juan Soto has been everything the New York Yankees could have hoped for when they traded for him this offseason.

Looking to add more firepower to the lineup alongside Aaron Judge, the Yankees sent a big trade package to bring in Soto, a lefty slugger who seemed like the type of hitter to take full advantage of Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field. But, as if he was asking his landlord to raise his rent on purpose so he could grind harder, Soto has been hitting a lot of home runs to the opposite field. Of his 13 homers, six have gone to left field or left-center. He even hit one 440 feet to left-center in a previous win over the Houston Astros.

In the Yankees' recent 7-3 win over the Seattle Mariners, Soto went yard twice. He hit a two-run shot to Seattle's bullpen in left field to double New York's lead in the bottom of the third inning.

Then, Soto went the opposite way again with a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth inning. It marked the second two-dinger, three-RBI game for Soto in his last five games. He's on a special roll right now.

Soto says he likes it when he’s able to get hits to the left side of the field, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. Yankees manager Aaron Boone knows that Soto is a special hitter.

“There’s not really any lefties that hit balls like that,” Boone said, via the New York Daily News.

Soto's opposite-field power and incredible plate discipline make him one of the best hitters in the game, especially among left-handed hitters. Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper and Yordan Alvarez instantly come to mind as lefties who can mash like the Yankees' right fielder. There’s also Freddie Freeman, Rafael Devers, Kyle Tucker, Gunnar Henderson, Matt Olson and many more lefties who can rake.

Any conversation about the best hitters in the game — from either side of the plate — has to mention No. 22 on the Yanks.

Juan Soto off to dominant start to 2024 with Yankees

In 232 plate appearances across 51 games so far this season, Soto has a triple slash of .313/.409/.569, 61 hits and 40 RBI along with 13 home runs. He has a wRC+ of 178, tied for fifth in the majors with a current teammate (Judge) and a former San Diego Padres teammate (Jurickson Profar).

The Yankees have been one of the very best teams in MLB with Soto crushing it, Judge starting to get hot after a mostly cold start, Anthony Volpe continuing to develop and the pitching staff being lights out despite Gerrit Cole's lingering injury, which he could return from in the coming months. With the best record in the American League to show for it, everything is going right for the Bronx Bombers so far.

Of course, the looming threat of Juan Soto leaving town after this season still looms. The Yankees cannot afford to let such a high-profile superstar walk because of fears over a hefty contract.