King of walks: 25-year-old Juan Soto breaks Mickey Mantle record

One of baseball's most disciplined hitters since debuting as a 19-year-old in 2018, Juan Soto overtook Mickey Mantle for the most walks by any player in history before their 26th birthday.

The New York Yankees outfielder's walk on Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins was the 669th of his career.

Soto has led the majors in walks each of the past three seasons and is No. 1 among active players with a career .421 on-base percentage.

Soto joined the Yankees this winter in a trade with the Padres, having been dealt to San Diego in the summer of 2022 after spending the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Washington Nationals, developing into one of the game's premier sluggers.

A free agent at the conclusion of this season, Soto is expected to command one of the biggest contracts in baseball history, perhaps second only to Shohei Ohtani's $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Soto celebrated his 21st birthday during the Nationals' World Series run in 2019, helping the team win the first championship in franchise history.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Juan Soto breaks Mickey Mantle stats record for walks by age 26