Juan Soto has certainly become a baseball idol for many throughout his illustrious MLB career. However, he was once just a kid from the Dominican Republic dreaming of one day reaching the major leagues.
On Monday, ahead of his fifth All-Star Game, Soto, representing the New York Mets, revealed the two MLB legends he idolized growing up while speaking with reporters.
Juan Soto’s Baseball Idols
Soto stayed true to his Dominican roots, naming Robinson Cano and Manny Ramirez as the players who inspired him most while growing up. Both legends are natives of the Dominican Republic.
“Umm… growing up it was Robinson Cano and Manny Ramirez were the players I always looked up to and wanted to be.”
Juan Soto says that Robinson Canó and Manny Ramírez were the two players he looked up to the most growing up pic.twitter.com/uTsZG2ehqc
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 13, 2026
Cano played 17 seasons in the majors, earning eight All-Star selections, five Silver Slugger Awards, two Gold Gloves, and a World Series title with the New York Yankees in 2009.
Ramírez also put together a legendary career. He earned 12 All-Star selections, won two World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox, captured World Series MVP honors, and claimed nine Silver Slugger Awards across 19 seasons with five teams.
Soto’s Career Outlook
Soto appears well on his way to matching — or even surpassing — many of the accomplishments of both Cano and Ramirez.
The Washington Nationals signed Soto in 2015, and he made his MLB debut in 2018. Still only 27 years old, he has already earned five All-Star selections, six Silver Slugger Awards, and won a World Series with Washington in 2019.
After spending time with the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees, Soto signed a then-record 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets in December 2024, the richest deal in American professional sports at the time.
Soto did not make the All-Star team last season, making Tuesday night’s game his first as a member of the Mets. He earned the starting right field spot and will bat second in the National League lineup after hitting .290 with 21 home runs and 51 RBIs during the first half.
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