Vimael Machín Soto was originally signed by Cubs scout Billy Swoope…attended Puerto Rico’s Baseball Academy High School…graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University where he was a three-time all-conference selection…led VCU with a .339 batting average and 53 RBI in 2015.
2020
Was selected by the Phillies from the Cubs in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft and was traded to A’s the same day…spent the entire season with Oakland and batted .206 with two doubles and no RBI in 24 games in his Major League debut…walked eight times for a .296 on-base percentage…hit .105 over his first nine games through Aug. 26, .250 over his final 15 contests…made 16 of his 18 starts in games in which the opponent started a right-handed pitcher…batted .214 (12-for-56) against right-handers and was 1-for-7 (.143) against left-handers…the one hit off a lefty was a double and he drew five of his eight walks against southpaws for a .786 OPS (.486 vs. righties)… hit .243 during the day, .154 with all eight of his walks at night…was 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position…the at bats were the most in the majors among players with no hits with RISP… had a .400 average when leading off an inning…batted .273 with no outs, .200 with one out and .125 with two outs…hit .300 over innings one through six, .043 from the seventh inning on…was 5-for-9 (.556) when putting the first pitch in play…batted .065 with two strikes…started seven games at third base, five at shortstop, four at designated hitter and two at second base…played all four infield positions as he also had two games at first base…committed two errors, both in his six games at shortstop…was 6-for-16 (.375) as a shortstop, 7-for-47 (.149) at all other positions… struck out in his only at bat as a pinch hitter…made nine starts batting eighth, five in the nine spot and four hitting seventh…played for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League following the season and hit .345 with seven RBI and six walks (.435 on-base percentage) in 16 games…ranked third in the PRWL in batting and on-base percentage and tied for third in hits (20).
2019
Spent most of the season at Double-A Tennessee in the Chicago Cubs organization, batting .294 with six home runs, 61 RBI and 63 walks (.403 on-base percentage) in 117 games…also had two stints with Iowa, going 8-for-25 (.320) in 12 games…combined for a .295 average, seven home runs, 65 RBI and 69 walks (.390 on-base percentage) in 129 games overall…had career highs in on-base percentage (.390), OPS (.802), hits (132), doubles (27), triples (2), extra base hits (36), walks, stolen bases (8), hit by pitches (5), intentional walks (10), sacrifice flies (7), games and at bats (447)…led the Cubs farm system in walks, tied for second in hits, tied for third in doubles and RBI, ranked fifth in total bases (184) and seventh in extra base hits…his on-base percentage was the best among Cubs full-season minor leaguers and his batting average ranked second…led the Southern League in on-base percentage (.386), tied for the lead in walks (63), tied for third in hits (124), ranked fifth in doubles (26), sixth in batting (.294) and 10th in RBI (61) and OPS (.789)…was named to the SL Midseason All-Star team…batted .302 (93-for-308) with six of his seven home runs against right-handed pitching compared to .281 (39-for-139) against left-handers…had a .375 batting average with runners in scoring position, including .383 with RISP and two outs…was 5-for-8 (.625) with three doubles and a home run with the bases loaded…hit six of his seven home runs in his home ballparks…batted .320 at home with Tennessee…had a .328 average during the day…started 45 games at shortstop, 43 at second base, 23 at third base, six at first base and one at catcher…made eight errors at shortstop (.949 fielding percentage), three at third base (.940), three at second base (.984) and one at first base (.984)…also played one game at each outfield position, all in one game on Aug. 30 when he played every position except pitcher…went 2-for-9 (.222) in two games at designated hitter and was 1-for-3 (.333) as a pinch hitter…hit in every spot in the order except sixth…saw most of his time batting second (47 games), third (39 games) and fifth (24 games)…played for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League following the season and batted .333 with 10 RBI in 28 games.
MINORS: Began the year at Tennessee and hit safely in each of his first four games (4-for-13, .308) before he was transferred to Iowa April 11…went 6-for-19 (.316) with four walks in 10 games before he was sent back to Tennessee April 26…struck out just once in 75 plate appearances over a 19-game stretch from April 28 to May 18…was batting .250 over his first 10 games with the Smokies through May 1…then hit .405 (34-for-84) over a 22-game span from May 2-26 to boost his Double-A average to a season-high .366…was a perfect 4-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, a triple and three RBI May 17 at Jackson…had another four hit game May 22 against Pensacola…was named SL Player of the Week for the week of May 20-26 after going 10-for-21 (.476) with six runs, six RBI and four walks in five games…scored a career-high tying three runs May 31 at Biloxi (fifth time)…earned SL Player of the Month honors in May after hitting .369 with 12 doubles, one triple, one home run and 17 RBI in 27 games (.440 on-base percentage, .527 slugging percent-age, .981 OPS)…had an 11-game hitting streak from June 6-21 (15-for-44, .341)…stole two bases in a game for the first time in his career, June 14 at Pensacola…started at second base for the North in the SL All-Star Game June 18 and went 2-for-5 with a run scored…hit his first career grand slam and collected a season-high four RBI June 25 at Chattanooga…went 15-for-72 (.208) over a 21-game stretch from July 4-27…singled, walked a career-high tying three times and had a sacrifice fly in five plate appearances at Chattanooga on July 30…hit safely in each of his final 14 games with Tennessee from Aug. 16-31, which was his longest hitting streak of the season… went 19-for-53 (.358) with 11 RBI, nine runs and nine walks during the streak…played every position except pitcher Aug. 30 at Mobile…started the game at catcher, his first career appearance
behind the plate…then played, in order, one inning at third, short, second, first, left, center and right, before returning to third base in the ninth inning…it was also his first career appearances in center and right…went 2-for-4 with a RBI in the game, a 5-4 Smokies win…was moved up to Iowa Sept. 1 and was 2-for-6 (.333) with a home run and four RBI in two regular season games…then went 8-for-23 (.348) with two doubles, two home runs, two RBI, two walks and two stolen bases in five games for Iowa in the Pacific Coast League Semifinals against Round Rock.
2018
Began the year at Single-A Myrtle Beach and was hitting .209 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 33 games when he was moved up to Double-A Tennessee May 16…batted .220 with five home runs and 28 RBI in 79 games with the Smokies and combined for a .217 average, seven home runs and 42 RBI in 112 games overall…added 67 walks for a .343 on-base percentage…ranked third in the Cubs farm system in walks…struck out a career-high 77 times…hit .217 with all seven of his home runs against right-handed pitching, .215 against left-handers…batted .167 with the bases empty, .278 with runners on…hit .316 with runners in scoring position and two outs…combined for a .169 average and six of his seven home runs in his home ballparks…hit .264 on the road…connected for five of his seven home runs after the All-Star Break…batted .132 with a .253 on-base percentage when leading off an inning…started games at all four infield positions (48 at second base, 20 at third base, 12 at first base, five at shortstop) plus one in left field…committed eight errors, including four as a second baseman (.980 fielding percentage)…also hit .269 in 14 games at designated hitter and was 2-for-6 (.333) with a walk and a RBI as a pinch hitter… hit in every spot in the order except clean-up and saw his most action with 32 games batting second and 25 hitting third…had a 16-game reaching base streak from April 12 to May 2…went 18-for-52 (.346) with 20 walks (.434 on-base percentage) during the streak…was 4-for-6 with three RBI April 14 at Down East, his first of two four-hit games…had a season-best six-game hitting streak from April 26 to May 2 (8-for-22, .364)…batted .257 in April but walked 18 times in 22 games to fuel a .416 on-base percentage…went 0-for-4 in his Double-A debut May 17 against Mississippi but then went 17-for-34 (.500) with 10 RBI and eight walks over a 13-game span from May 23 to June 6 to lift his average with Tennessee to .429…was a perfect 4-for-4 with a career high hree doubles July 22 at Biloxi…had his highest single-month batting average in June when he hit .263…hit .314 with two home runs, 14 RBI and 19 walks (.413 on-base percentage) in 34 games for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League.
2017
Played for the Cubs two Single-A affiliates at South Bend and Myrtle Beach and combined to hit .303 with 11 home runs and 72 RBI in 117 games…had career highs in batting, slugging (.438), home runs, RBI and runs scored (65)…led the Cubs farm system in hits (130), ranked third in RBI, tied for fifth in runs and sixth in total bases (188)…batted .308 against left-handed pitchers compared to .302 against right-handers …combined for a .253 average in his home ballparks… hit .342 on the road…batted .323 in the seventh inning or later and .315 with runners in scoring position…started 36 games at third base, 26 at second base, 22 at first base, four at shortstop and one in left field…also pitched once…was 3-for-7 (.429) with a walk and three RBI as a pinch hitter…hit in every spot in the order…batted .337 in 41 games in the two spot…batted .368 over his first 10 games…made his second career appearance as a pitcher in the second game of an April 7 doubleheader at West Michigan (1.2 ip, 2 h, 1 r, 1 er, 1 bb, 2 so)…hit his first career home run and drove in a career-high five runs April 26 at Lansing…it snapped a career-opening 102- game homerless streak…went 19-for-44 (.432) with 11 RBI over a 12-game stretch from May
30 to June 11…hit six of his 11 home runs and had 21 RBI over a 15-game stretch from June 29 to July 14…batted .327 in June and then hit .362 in July…went 12-for-22 (.545) with nine runs, a double, two home runs and seven RBI in a four-game series at Daytona July 7-10…that included a career-high five-hit game on July 9 when he also drove in four runs…hit safely in each of his final seven games at South Bend before he was promoted to Myrtle Beach July 14…hit safely in each of his first four games with the Pelicans for an 11-game hitting streak overall…went 23-for-52 (.442) with 13 runs and 13 RBI during the streak…was 3-for-6 (.500) with a double and a walk in two postseason games.
2016
Began the season in extended Spring Training before joining Triple-A Iowa on June 14… had two stints on the DL and also played for Short-Season Single-A Eugene and Single-A South Bend…batted a combined .267 with no home runs and 17 RBI in 49 games…added 23 walks for
a .377 on-base percentage…hit .289 against right-handed pitching, .211 against left-handers… batted .364 with a .462 on-base percentage when leading off an inning…started 19 games at second base, 12 at third base, four at shortstop and three in left field…committed five errors, all as a second baseman…also pitched for the first time in his career on July 8 at Colorado Springs (0.1 ip, 2 h, 1 bb)…went 4-for-12 (.333) with five walks over his first nine games with Iowa before going on the disabled list June 28 with a strained right calf…was reinstated July 6, went 1-for-6 in five games, and returned to the DL with the calf injury July 12…was reinstated from the DL and transferred to Eugene July 19…went 6-for-14 (.429) in four games before he was moved up to South Bend July 26…hit .243 with 11 RBI over his final 31 games…then went 2-for-9 (.222) with a triple and two walks in three postseason games.
2015
Bounced between Short-Season Single-A Eugene and Single-A South Bend in his professional debut and hit a combined .179 with 10 RBI in 44 games…batted .192 against right-handed pitchers, .120 against left-handers…started 18 games at third base, 17 at shortstop and five at second base…went 1-for-3 in his first game with Eugene on June 25 against Boise…had two doubles July 2 at Hillsboro, was promoted to South Bend July 3, and had two doubles the next day at Bowling Green…returned to Eugene Aug. 14 and was sent back to South Bend Aug. 25 to finish the year.
