FLUSHING, NY — September 5th, 2026 was circled on the calendars of many throughout Latino Sports, the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association and Major League Baseball.
Juan Special Day.
And it was all for Juan Soto who received the 2025 National League LatinoMVP Award Saturday afternoon at Citi Field ahead of the Mets facing the Giants, the Dominican superstar’s third career LatinoMVP honors.
The LatinoMVP Awards, known as a “Latin Grammy of Baseball,” are the oldest and most prestigious awards earned by Latino MLB players dating back to 1990—a year in which Latino Sports founder and president Julio Pabón organized a historic event at the old Yankee Stadium to present Rubén Sierra with the first-ever LatinoMVP Award after the Puerto Rican All-Star had been overlooked in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s 1989 American League MVP voting—finishing second behind Robin Yount.
“Thank you for always considering what I’ve been doing. I think it’s huge for the Latin community and Latin players that play in the big leagues to be recognized the way you guys do it,” said Soto, 27, of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic upon receiving his third career LatinoMVP—a one of a kind painting crafted by nationally acclaimed artist James Fiorentino, the exclusive artist for the AL and NL LatinoMVP Award each season.
“It’s a pleasure. We represent the whole Latin community. Dominican, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, everywhere.”
Juan Soto, a three time LatinoMVP Award winner, was presented with his National League LatinoMVP Award earned from the 2025 season Saturday afternoon in the Shannon Forde Press Conference room at Citi Field – Image Credit: Joel Rodriguez/Latino Sports
From his MLB debut back in 2018 as a 19-year-old, to him helping the Nationals capture the franchise’s first World Series title a year later—his Padre days, then 2024 in pinstripes, getting the Yankees back to the World Series, to Soto’s beginning with the Mets in 2025 and now in 2026—the six-time Silver Slugger and five-time All-Star continues to represent his native Dominican Republic to the fullest.
On and off the diamond.
As Latino Sports covers it all, including his participation in the 2023 and 2026 World Baseball Classic for Dominican Republic, our organization as well as members of the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association, with the support from Major League Baseball, first presented Soto with his 2021 NL LatinoMVP Award during September of 2022 followed by his 2024 AL LatinoMVP Award in September of 2025 and 2025 NL LatinoMVP Saturday afternoon.
“It’s always great to have you guys having my back and always looking out for Latino players,” he said. “Like you guys say, sometimes we have guys that have tremendous seasons and they perform and do stuff that should be recognized, but for one reason or the other, they don’t get highlighted. To be recognized by Latino Sports, I think it’s really cool, not only for Latin players, but I’ll say for the whole world.”
Juan Soto’s 2025 National League LatinoMVP winning campaign included the five-time All-Star recording 43 home runs (fourth in NL), 105 RBI (third in NL), 38 stolen bases (tied for first in NL) – Image Credit: Joel Rodriguez/Latino Sports
A global superstar playing a kid’s game, the same game Soto grew up attached to in the Dominican and ultimately fell in love with.
His message to the millions watching from afar in the D.R., Caribbean and Latin America, those who are coming after him with a dream of becoming the next Juan Soto and a future LatinoMVP Award winner themselves?
“Just keep playing. Keep playing, believe in yourself and try to always be disciplined. Listen to mom and dad. Those are the ones that are always gonna have the right words for you and they will never lie. They’re always gonna look at your eyes and tell you the truth straight up, even if you like it or not. But it’s always to make you better. And just pray, be disciplined, and don’t let anybody take down your dreams, always believe it.”
Three-time LatinoMVP Juan Soto believes he can get close to or even match up with Albert Pujols’ record amount of LatinoMVP Awards who earned a total of nine over 22 MLB seasons – Image Credit: Chris Simon/Baseball Ahora
What was once a dream for Soto is now reality, as he believed in himself the whole way through behind a strong family and support system.
“When we were kids, we always tried to never take this game for granted,” he said, inching closer and closer to his idol and LatinoMVP Award record-holder Albert Pujols, who took home nine LatinoMVPs over his legendary MLB career.
“We tried to play the game, have fun and enjoy as much as we could. And when your dream becomes reality, it’s really cool to see and really cool to be recognized for all the hard work that you put in when you were a kid. I mean, it’s a dream come true.”
Of him and Pujols, his manager in the 2026 WBC for Dominican Republic, potentially ending up No. 1 and 2 for the most-ever LatinoMVP Awards won, Soto said:
“Pujols has been inspiring. He shared a lot of stuff with me in that short period. I’m really excited to be in a list where he is at the top. We’ll see who is going to be there at the end.”
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