Juan Soto joins elite club with 1,000 hits

Dominican outfielder Juan Soto has added another major milestone to his impressive Major League Baseball career. On Thursday, the 26-year-old slugger recorded his 1,000th career hit with a single off Spencer Strider of the Atlanta Braves—joining an elite group of just 84 players to reach that mark before turning 27, a feat accomplished by only 0.3% of over 23,500 players in MLB history.

What sets Soto apart, however, isn’t just the hit total. He’s the first player ever to record at least 1,000 hits, 200 home runs, and 800 walks before the age of 27, showcasing an extraordinary mix of power, consistency, and plate discipline. These numbers place him in a statistical class of his own and strengthen his case as one of baseball’s most unique offensive forces.

Of the 84 players to reach 1,000 hits before 27, only 17 have gone on to collect 3,000. Soto, now in his eighth season and still in his prime, is on track to potentially join that legendary group. Since his 2018 debut, he has delivered consistent results across four franchises—569 hits with the Nationals, 199 with the Padres, 166 with the Yankees, and 66 so far with the Mets.

Now in the first year of a record-setting 15-year, US$765 million contract with the New York Mets, Soto is already proving to be a sound investment. With every swing, he’s not only piling up numbers but also carving out a historic legacy on his path toward Cooperstown.