Neftali Soto

Neftali O. Soto

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
• High School Colegio Marista de Guaynabo
• Debut May 18, 2013
• Final Game July 19, 2014
• Born February 28, 1989 in Manati Puerto Rico

BR page

Biographical Information

Neftali Soto made his major league debut in 2013.

Soto was picked by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round of the 2007 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Tony Arias. In his pro debut, he hit .303/.355/.454 for the GCL Reds and fielded .913 at shortstop. He was 8th in the Gulf Coast League in average and second with five triples, trailing only Ben Revere. Soto was named the league's #8 prospect by Baseball America, tops on his team.

He split 2008 between the Billings Mustangs (.340/.388/.423 in 15 G) and Dayton Dragons (.326/.343/.500 in 52 G) while shifting to third base. Baseball America rated him as the #10 prospect in the Midwest League (between Derek Holland and Danny Duffy). Had he qualified, he would have been second in the MWL in average (behind Revere) and 3rd in the Pioneer League. He spent the winter with the Santurce Crabbers.

Soto fell to .248/.282/.362 with the 2009 Sarasota Reds, fielding only .901 at the hot corner. He led the Florida State League with 505 at-bats. He led FSL third basemen in both errors (28) and assists (199). Recovering form in 2010, Neftali hit .268/.319/.460 for the Lynchburg Hillcats, with 33 doubles and 21 home runs. He tied Seth Loman for fourth in the Carolina League in doubles, was third in homers behind Tyler Moore and Loman. He was 6th in RBI.

Soto joined the Puerto Rican national team for the 2010 Pan American Games Qualification Tournament.

Sources

• 2010 Reds Media Guide
• 2008-2010 Baseball Almanacs

Related Sites

• Neftali Soto on mlb.com
• BR Minors page