Manny Machado, MJ Melendez, Yuli Gurriel earn super trainer Nick Soto’s respect

Several MLB players including Manny Machado have been training under Nick Soto, a renowned strength and conditioning coach of the University of Miami baseball team.

On Thursday, Soto shared the impressive feats of Machado, MJ Melendez, Yuli Gurriel and Sal Stewart via Instagram stories.

Stewart, a third baseman with the Cincinnati Reds, showed off a combined single-arm dumbbell press and squat workout, weighing more than 80lbs. Machado, the San Diego Padres de-facto leader, effortlessly lifted 185lbs barbell.

Kansas City Royals star MJ Melendez also didn't have trouble with the same exercise Stewart did. The one who impressed Soto the most was two-time Houston Astros World Series champion, Yuli Gurriel. The 40-year-old free agent effortlessly weightlifted the barbell, weighing potentially more than 185lbs.

Soto, who shared the stories, seems to be impressed by the work put in by the baseball stars.

Screenshot of Nick Soto's Instagram stories (Source - Instagram/nicksoto_performance)

Nick Soto offers baseball players a special training regimen - Gorilla Baseball Club. The eight-week program promises improvements in speed and strength. The program is available in three payment formats - $75/month, $360/six month and $480 for a year.

Nick Soto drops 2-word praise on Manny Machado's effortless squat

Manny Machado has been working out tirelessly in the offseason, under the guidance of Nick Soto. Machado has been improving as his effortless squat earlier this month garnered a 2-word reaction from his trainer.

"Light Weight" - Soto captioned his Instagram video of Machado squatting. He also added biceps flex emoji as well.

Screenshot of Nick Soto's Instagram stories (Source - Instagram/nicksoto_performance)

A week later, Soto shared videos of Manny Machado, Yasiel Puig, Yuli Gurriel and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. engaging in explosive workouts.

Machado is not the only player from the San Diego Padres working out in the offseason. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Jackson Merrill and the team's superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. also showed their offseason grind.

Merrill had shown his late-night bench pressing escapades while Tatis Jr. had shared Instagram stories from the gym multiple times. The Dominican recently achieved certification from Deep End Fitness as an underwater physical trainer.

The Padres have yet to make any significant moves this offseason. Manny Machado and his teammates will be hoping to better their 2024 performance after putting the Los Angeles Dodgers, the eventual World Series winners, on the brink of elimination in the NLDS round.