Neftalí Soto (baseball)

3.1.1. Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds selected Soto with a supplemental third-round pick (109th overall) in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. He began his professional career with the rookie-class Gulf Coast League Reds in the 2007 season, where he hit .303 with two home runs and 28 RBI in 40 games.

In 2008, Soto played for the rookie-class Billings Mustangs in the Pioneer League and was later promoted to the low-A Dayton Dragons. Across both teams, he posted a .340 batting average with 11 home runs and 47 RBI in 67 games. The following year, 2009, he played a full season with the advanced-A Sarasota Reds (now Bradenton Marauders), hitting .248 with 11 home runs and 57 RBI in 131 games. In 2010, he continued in advanced-A with the Lynchburg Hillcats, recording a .268 batting average, 21 home runs, and 73 RBI in 134 games.

Soto's performance continued to improve in 2011, as he played for the Double-A Carolina Mudcats and briefly for the Triple-A Louisville Bats. In a combined 106 games, he hit .278 with an impressive 31 home runs and 80 RBI. His strong season earned him two Southern League Player of the Week awards. Following the 2011 season, the Reds added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

In 2012, he continued to play for the Triple-A Louisville Bats, appearing in 122 games with a .245 batting average, 14 home runs, and 59 RBI. Soto was called up to the major leagues for the first time on May 18, 2013, making his MLB debut against the Philadelphia Phillies. He played in 13 games for the Reds but did not record a hit in 13 at-bats.

He started the 2014 season on the Reds' big-league roster. On April 7, he recorded his first career RBI with a sacrifice fly against the St. Louis Cardinals, driving in Ryan Ludwick. On April 14, he tallied his first major league hit, a fifth-inning double off Wandy Rodriguez of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He appeared in 21 games in 2014, hitting .100 with one RBI. On October 28, 2014, Soto was outrighted from the Reds' roster and became a free agent on November 3, later re-signing a minor league deal with the Reds on December 8.

3.1.2. Chicago White Sox

On March 23, 2015, Soto was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for cash considerations. He spent the entire 2015 season with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, where he played in 53 games, hitting .246 with two home runs and 24 RBI. He elected free agency after the season on November 6.

3.1.3. Washington Nationals

On February 8, 2016, Soto signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. He split the 2016 season between the Double-A Harrisburg Senators and the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, combining for a .274/.318/.408 slash line with 10 home runs and 62 RBI in 122 games.

Soto was invited to major league spring training as a non-roster player for the 2017 season. Although he was not selected for the Nationals' major league roster, he had a significantly stronger minor league season, primarily with Harrisburg and Syracuse. In 135 games across both levels, he posted a .311/.364/.528 slash line with 24 home runs and 82 RBI. During his contract period with the Nationals, specifically between October 31 and November 1, he participated in a tryout for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan. On November 6, 2017, he elected free agency.

3.2.1. Yokohama DeNA BayStars

On November 10, 2017, Soto signed a one-year contract with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of NPB, adopting the registration name "Soto" and wearing uniform number 99. He joined a competitive foreign player roster, vying for a spot among six foreign players, including four who had contributed to the team's Japan Series appearance the previous season.

In the 2018 season, Soto adapted to playing outfield positions in addition to his primary infield role during spring training, earning praise from then-manager Alex Ramírez. Despite a calf issue preventing him from playing on opening day, he was re-registered on May 6 and made his NPB debut as the number two hitter and right fielder against the Yomiuri Giants. He recorded his first NPB hit and RBI, an RBI double, in his first at-bat, and hit his first NPB home run in his second at-bat, both off Ryoma Nogami. He continued his strong start by recording multiple hits in his first four games, a feat last achieved by a BayStars foreign player (then Yokohama Taiyo Whales) in 1988 by James Pachorek. Although he experienced a slump during the interleague play, Soto was later utilized as a second baseman (a position he rarely played in the minor leagues) starting in July. He had an exceptional September and October, hitting 14 home runs, including three multi-home run games, which earned him the Monthly MVP award for the month. The BayStars secured him with a two-year contract extension in September. Soto concluded the 2018 season with a .310 batting average, 41 home runs, and 95 RBI, leading the Central League in home runs. This made him the first player in Central League history to win the home run title after having zero home runs in April or after being 12 home runs behind the league leader during the season. Despite being registered as an infielder, he primarily played in the outfield (76 games), leading to his selection as a Best Nine outfielder for the Central League.

In 2019, Soto started on opening day for the first time in NPB. On April 28, he hit his 50th career NPB home run, reaching the milestone in just 130 games, the fastest for a right-handed hitter in NPB history and second fastest overall, behind Ralph Bryant. On September 11, he hit three home runs in a single game for the first time in his NPB career. The following day, September 12, he hit his 40th home run of the season, becoming only the second BayStars player, after Tyrone Woods (2003-2004), to achieve consecutive 40-home run seasons. Soto finished the 2019 season playing in 141 games, hitting .269 with 43 home runs and 108 RBI. He led the league in both home runs (for the second consecutive year) and RBI (his first time). Alongside José López, who hit 31 home runs, the BayStars achieved the club's first instance of two foreign players hitting 30 or more home runs in consecutive seasons. Soto also set a club record for most home runs against the Giants in a single season with 13. For the second consecutive year, he was selected as a Best Nine outfielder, primarily playing in right field (98 games). After the season, on November 18, the BayStars announced his contract agreement for the 2020 season.

The 2020 season saw Soto start as the number two hitter, but he experienced a slump in July with a .219 batting average. On July 19, he hit a controversial home run that was initially ruled foul after a video review but then hit another home run in the same at-bat. He regained form in August, hitting his 10th home run of the season on September 4, marking his third consecutive season with double-digit home runs. On September 19, 2020, Soto hit his 100th career NPB home run in a game against the Giants, reaching the milestone in 321 games, the fastest in BayStars history and the sixth fastest in NPB history. On October 10, he hit two home runs, including his 20th of the season, marking his third consecutive season with 20 or more home runs, a feat only achieved by two other foreign players in BayStars history: John Sipin and Carlos Ponce. Despite the 2020 season being shortened to 120 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the team with 25 home runs. His defensive roles shifted in 2020, with increased playing time at first base (66 games) and second base (58 games), and only 20 games in the outfield, due to the arrival of outfielder Tyler Austin and José López's struggles. Following the season, on December 2, he signed a new three-year contract with the BayStars, reportedly worth 750.00 M JPY.

In 2021, Soto's arrival in Japan was delayed due to COVID-19 border restrictions, joining the team on April 13. He struggled in April with a .184 batting average but improved in May, finishing the first half with a .262 average, 15 home runs, and 40 RBI. However, his performance declined again in the second half, leading to more frequent substitutions. He ended the season with his lowest NPB career statistics: a .234 batting average, 21 home runs, and 62 RBI in 123 games. With López's departure, Soto primarily played first base, recording a career-low four errors.

The 2022 season saw Soto's start delayed due to a right wrist injury during spring training, but he returned to the first team on April 12. He temporarily played as the cleanup hitter in place of an injured Shugo Maki and showed strong batting form, hitting two consecutive home runs on April 16 and contributing to the team's first home victory. On April 20, he hit his third career walk-off home run against the Hanshin Tigers in the 10th inning. On May 18, he achieved his 500th career NPB hit, becoming the sixth foreign player in BayStars history to do so. While his batting average was strong in April, it declined to the low .200s in May, with a nearly two-month home run drought. After dedicated practice, he gradually regained his form, hitting his fifth home run on June 21. On July 21, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was sidelined, returning to the first team on August 9. On August 12, he hit his 10th home run of the season, marking his fifth consecutive season with double-digit home runs. Despite increased mid-game substitutions and minor absences, he did not reach the minimum plate appearances for the first time in his five years in Japan, finishing with 17 home runs, though his OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) surpassed .800 again for the first time in three years.

In 2023, Soto was selected to the Puerto Rico national team for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), playing at first base. During the NPB season, he struggled offensively from the start, experiencing periods of being benched and demoted to the minor league team. He played in 109 games, finishing with a .234 batting average, 14 home runs, a .415 slugging percentage, and a .731 OPS, all career lows since joining NPB. After the season, he revealed on his Instagram that he had suffered a left foot fracture during interleague play and underwent surgery to repair his plantar plate. His three-year contract with the BayStars concluded at the end of 2023, and he became a free agent on November 30.

3.2.2. Chiba Lotte Marines

On December 13, 2023, the Chiba Lotte Marines of NPB announced the signing of Neftalí Soto. He retained his uniform number 99 from his time with the BayStars, with an estimated annual salary of 150.00 M JPY.

In 2024, Soto did not participate in spring training due to his previous foot surgery. He joined the first team and held an introductory press conference on March 13 during the open exhibition games. In his second game of the regular season, on March 30 against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at ZOZO Marine Stadium, he started as the number three hitter and first baseman, contributing three RBI to help the team secure its first win of the season. On April 3, in a game against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks at PayPay Dome, he hit his first home run of the season for the Marines, a game-tying solo shot off Hiroki Higashihama in the sixth inning.