"Gotta Soto shuffle after every hit" "Participating in the Derby in his future home stadium" - Juan Soto's 2022 Home Run Derby bid elicits mixed reactions from fans as they fight over the young star

Juan Soto will once again take part in the Home Run Derby. Several insiders have confirmed that the 23-year-old superstar will be competing for the second consecutive year.

The Dominican star had a memorable 2021 derby. He dueled with Shohei Ohtani in the first round and managed to overcome the Japanese superstar after a swing-off.

The score was tied at 22-22 and 28-28 after the first tiebreaker before Soto managed to scrape past Ohtani.

Soto then faced eventual winner Pete Alonso in the semis. He was barely defeated by the reigning Home Run Derby champion, 16-15.

Yesterday, he announced his intention to participate in the event at Dodger Stadium.

It can be recalled that he hit the furthest home run in the derby's history last year. He smashed a towering 520-foot blast at Coors Field in Colorado.

---

MLB fans duke it out over Juan Soto

Juan Soto is yet to sign an extension with the Washington Nationals. He joined the team in 2018 and had a stellar rookie year. The following season, he won the World Series title with the squad.

The young star has amassed a plethora of awards in his short stint in the nation's capital. He has been selected to two All-Star teams, two All-MLB First Teams, two Silver Slugger Awards, an All-MLB Second Team and an NL Batting title.

Needless to say, teams are battling over his signature if he ever decides to walk away from Washington.

While some were elated to see Soto in the derby, others couldn't help but notice the outfielder's struggles this year.

Soto is batting just .243 this year, a stark difference from his .283 batting average during the first half of last season. The saving grace that he has so far is the 17 home runs he hit compared to the 11 he hit during the halfway point of 2021.

It will be an exciting derby nonetheless, as Soto, Pete Alonso, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Albert Pujols are now confirmed for the National League.

The National League has a streak of three consecutive derby wins; a back-to-back courtesy of Pete Alonso and Bryce Harper's win in 2018.

On the American League side of things, no one has confirmed their participation. However, New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has expressed his desire to compete in the event. His teammate and season home run leader Aaron Judge, however, will likely not participate.