Soto: Being role model on rebuilding Nats is 'so different for me'

Juan Soto is still getting over the shock of becoming the Nationals' go-to guy after Washington's deadline moves left the 22-year-old as one of the club's most experienced players.

"It was weird, man. It's crazy how everything changed," Soto said Friday, according to The Washington Post's Jesse Dougherty.

"It's so different for me. I always say I will be a rookie forever. But now everybody is looking at me like I'm the role model, and it just feels weird. I don't want to feel that way. I want to still feel like I'm a rookie, but it is what it is. I just have to step it up and just keep playing baseball."

The Nationals traded veterans Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Yan Gomes, Daniel Hudson, Josh Harrison, and Jon Lester to facilitate their rebuild. While Soto's shown the maturity of a longtime major leaguer since arriving on the MLB scene in 2018, he admitted being one of the guys giving out advice rather than searching for it will feel strange for a while.

“I don't feel like I've been in the league long enough to say, "Oh, I'm a veteran player now,'" Soto said. "I’m still learning the game, learning the team, learning about the business, everything. So, it just feels odd."