Geovany Soto

Infobox MLB player

---

width = 300
name = Geovany Soto
team = Chicago Cubs
number = 18
position = Catcher
birthdate = birth date and age|1983|1|20
birthplace = city-state|San Juan|Puerto Rico
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = September 23
debutyear = 2005
debutteam = Chicago Cubs
statyear = September 30, 2008
stat1label = Batting average
stat1value = .291
stat2label = Home runs
stat2value = 26
stat3label = Runs batted in
stat3value = 96
teams =
*Chicago Cubs (by|2005-present)
awards =
*All-Star selection (by|2008)

Geovany Soto (born January 20, 1983 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Major League Baseball catcher, currently on the Chicago Cubs 25-man roster.

Professional career

Selected by the Chicago Cubs 318th overall in the 11th Round of the 2001 amateur draft, he made his major league debut on September 23, 2005 against the Houston Astros. He was recalled by the Cubs on July 12, 2007, but only had 1 hit in 7 at bats.cite web| url=http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_gamebygamelog.jsp?playerID=434567&statType=1| title=Stats: Individual Player Game Log - Geovany Soto C| publisher=Major League Baseball| accessdate=2008-05-22] In September 2007, when the Cubs expanded their roster, he joined the team again. This was mainly because, in the minor leagues that year, he batted .353 with 26 home runs and 109 RBI and was named the Pacific Coast League's MVP while playing for the Iowa Cubs. [cite web| url=http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Geovany%20Soto&pos=C&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=434567| title=Player Statistics: Geovany Soto| publisher=Minor League Baseball| accessdate=2008-05-22] After his call-up in September, Soto had an average of .389. Soto started for the Cubs during the 2007 playoff series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In game 2 of the series, Soto hit a home run into the left field bleachers at Chase Field giving the Cubs an early 2-0 lead. The Cubs ended up losing that game but it further solidified him as the Cubs' full-time catcher going into 2008, with Jason Kendall moving on to Milwaukee as a free agent.

Arguably the best offensive performance in Soto's young career came April 30, 2008 in a rout against the Brewers. Soto hit two 3-run homers to account for 6 of the Cubs' 19 RBIs, only a few days removed from a two game stretch against the Nationals in which he struck out in 8 consecutive at-bats. Geovany Soto was voted the National League Rookie of the Month for April 2008 after hitting .341 with five home runs, eight doubles, and 20 RBIs, with an OPS of 1.059. [cite web| url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080509&content_id=2668292&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb| title=Soto catches Gillette rookie honor| author=Mike Scarr| publisher=Major League Baseball| date=2008-05-09| accessdate=2008-05-22] On May 19, 2008, he scored his first career Inside-the-park home run against the Houston Astros. [cite web| url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-nlgameofday20-2008may20,0,3440258.story| title=Geovany Soto's inside-the-park homer paces Cubs' 7-2 win| publisher="Los Angeles Times"| date=2008-05-20| accessdate=2008-05-22] Soto led the early stage of the voting process for the National League's catcher in the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. [cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/beisbol/accion_deportiva/soto_se_consolida_en_la_votacion/205886| title=Soto se consolida en la votación| author=Lester Jiménez | publisher=Primera Hora| language=Spanish| date=2008-07-01| accessdate=2008-07-01] Once the process closed he was selected to be the National League's starting catcher in the game. Soto became the first rookie catcher ever to be a starter on the National League All-Star team. [cite web| url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080706&content_id=3076110&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc| title=Cubs send seven to All-Star Game| author=Carrie Muskat| publisher=Cubs.com| date=2008-07-06| accessdate=2008-07-07] Soto is the first Cubs' All-Star rookie to play in the game with at least 14 home runs since Rafael Palmeiro did it in 1987, surpassing the mark when he hit his 15th home run on July 6, 2008. [cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/beisbol/accion_deportiva/geovany_celebro_con__su_15to._bambinazo/207646| title=Geovany celebró con su 15to. bambinazo| publisher=Primera Hora| language=Spanish| date=2008-07-07| accessdate=2008-07-08] He went 3 for 5 with seven RBI in a game on August 26 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. [cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/beisbol/acciondeportiva/geovany_soto_estuvo_colosal_con_siete_remolcadas/223857| title=Geovany Soto estuvo colosal con siete remolcadas| publisher="Primera Hora"| language=Spanish| date=2008-08-27| accessdate=2008-08-27]

As a rookie catcher, Soto called a no-hitter game from behind the plate to pitcher Carlos Zambrano in a game against the Houston Astros on September 14, 2008. [cite web| url=http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/beisbol/accion_deportiva/gesta_con__toque_criollo/230075| title=Gesta con toque criollo| author=Roberto Colón Segarra| publisher="Primera Hora"| language=Spanish| date=2008-09-16| accessdate=2008-09-16] Played at Miller Park in Milwaukee due to Hurricane Ike moving through Houston, this was the first no-hitter in major league history pitched at a neutral site.

Career Statistics

References

External links

*Baseballstats |mlb=434567 |espn=6428 |br=s/sotoge01 |fangraphs=3707 |cube=S/Geovany-Soto
* [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7662/career;_ylt=AvRReomoBv7WQV.OoRWX3QWFCLcF Yahoo bio]
* [http://www.scoutingbook.com/players/p2201 The Book on Geovany Soto from ScoutingBook.com]