Between 2009 and 2015, the Washington Nationals overhauled their training and scouting programs in the Dominican Republic, and the opening of their improved training facility coincided with the arrival of a skinny, 16-year-old prospect named Juan Soto. “We think he’s the best left-handed hitter on the market,” the franchise’s international scouting director, Johnny DiPuglia, said after the club signed him for $1.5 million. “He understands using the whole field. ... and ultimately, we think he’s going to have some power.” Bowman agreed, hailing Soto’s “picturesque lefty swing” and plate discipline in the “Bowman Briefing” on the back of his “1st Bowman” cards, such as this 2016 Bowman Chrome Prospects /5 Red Refractor Rookie Auto. Only 1/1 Superfractors and /3 Twitter Blue Refractors had a lower print run in the issue’s Refractor rainbow, with the Red finish providing a tremendous color match with Soto's Nationals jersey. With the superstar slugger moving from the Bronx to Queens this offseason, there should be no shortage of opportunities for him to flash his monumental power on the game’s biggest stage for years to come.
While two examples of this card have earned a PSA 9 grade with none graded higher, this is the only of those two to partner that condition assessment with a DNA 10 designation for Soto's signature.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 02/28/2025.
