Osceola County’s first first-round pick since 2000
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Kissimmee Charlee Soto, who has been featured among the top travel baseball prospects in the country, became Osceola County’s third MLB first-round draft pick and the first since 2000. PHOTO/PERFECT GAME
When it came to high school baseball in Osceola County in 2023, Charlee Soto really did not really get a lot of local attention. He pitched for tiny Reborn Christian Academy in Kissimmee, which played an abbreviated spring schedule.
But that does not mean Soto was not on the minds of practically every team in Major League Baseball. Playing for elite AAU travel teams the past couple of years, the 6-5 right handed flame thrower was definitely on the radar of the scouts.
That paid off for Soto during the July MLB Draft, where he was selected by the Minnesota Twins with the 34th pick overall during the competitive balance portion of the first round. A UCF commit originally, Soto ended up signing with the Twins for a $2.48 million signing bonus.
If Soto’s path to professional baseball was a little unique (not playing much high school baseball), so is his personal life, where he has spent countless hours working with community charities, organizations and foundations, including working with special needs kids participating in the Miracle League.
“These kids never had the opportunity I was blessed with,” Soto said in an MLB. com article. “It brings me joy to see them smile and just go out there and play with the same joy that I have playing the game.”
As a player, Soto brings a dominating presence to the game despite his young age — he won’t turn 18 on Aug. 31. His fastball routinely tops 94-96 mph, and he has touched 100 with some frequency.
Soto credits his father and his brother for his development. His father Carlos Sr. was a pitcher that played minor league baseball in Puerto Rico. His older brother Carlos Jr. was a former college pitcher at Benedictine University in Illinois.
“Growing up my dad basically taught me to pitch. He emphasized running and swimming to keep my arm healthy. Once I got a little older, he sort of let me do my thing, but he was a major influence on my development as a pitcher,” he said. “My brother Carlos was a little older and whenever he went to play baseball I tagged along,” Soto added. “When he wasn’t playing, he spent countless hours throwing batting practice to me, hitting me grounders and catching me in the bullpen.”
Soto gained additional experience while training in the Dominican Republic in 2021-22, where he often found himself playing against older, more experience competition. Soto said that experienced really opened his eyes. “Just the way they play the game is a little different, with a lot of passion and toughness,” Soto said. “It showed me that you can have all the talent in the world, but without hard work it will get you nowhere.”
Soto played for Gamblers Elite, one of the top AAU team in the country in 2021, before splitting time between Gamblers Elite and Power Baseball in 2022. He earned Perfect Game All-America status and played in the 2022 Perfect Game All-American Classic.
Although he enters professional baseball as a 17-year-old, Soto has shown incredible maturity beyond his years. When asked where he needs improvement, Soto said, “As a pitcher, I want to add one or two pitches to my arsenal. I think it would be good to have a fourth or fifth pitch. I want to go out there and dominate. As an individual, I want to grow. I want to meet new people and new coaches. I want to get better every day and be a leader.”
Soto becomes the third first-round pick from Osceola County. Osceola High School’s Jamie Arnold was the 21st overall pick of the Atlanta Braves in 1992, and lefthander Joe Torres went 10th overall to the Anaheim Angels in 2000. Soto joins Harmony’s Caden Scarborough (6th round, Texas Rangers) as 2023 selectees from Osceola County.
