Juan Soto Just Broke One of Ted Williams' Records

It's easy to forget that San Diego Padres star Juan Soto is really, really good, and still really, really young.

While most 23-year olds are just out of college and trying to figure out what to do with their life, Soto is somehow already in his fifth major league season.

While 2022 hasn't been his best year by any means, Soto managed to break a record long held by one of baseball's most legendary hitters, Ted Williams.

Through his age-23 season, Soto has now drawn 496 walks, outpacing Williams's 495:

Even more impressively, he's done it in fewer at bats, just 2,588 compared to Williams' 2,615.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Juan Soto #22 of the San Diego Padres at bat during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at PETCO Park on September 05, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

While the young slugger has struggled to hit and hit for power since coming over to the Padres at the trading deadline, he has remained consistently able to get on base. While not as flashy as hitting home runs or as exciting as a double down the line, not making outs is still the best way to generate runs.

His batting line is still an impressive .236/.406/.446, putting him 43% better than league average on the season, according to Fangraphs.

Since the move to San Diego, his walk rate has actually gone up, to an incredible 21.5%, made even more impressive considering he's striking out just 12.8% of the time.

It hasn't seemed to help the Padres much however, as they lost to the Seattle Mariners 6-1 on Wednesday:

The loss dropped the team to 18-19 since the deadline, not exactly what General Manager A.J. Preller expected after making a number of significant deals.

That said, the Padres remain in playoff position, meaning Soto still has time to make a significant impact down the stretch.

But at the very least, this year has allowed him to pass one of the greatest hitters who ever lived - and remember, he's still just 23 years old.
Who knows how many more records will fall throughout the rest of his career?