Mario Melvin Soto was born July 12th, 1956, in Baní, Dominican Republic. Though very little is known about his upbringing, Mario was known for his fiery temper from an early age. The Cincinnati Reds would go on to sign Mario at the age of 16, citing that the youngster had a solid, hard fastball in the mid-to-low 90’s and a mind-baffling circle change-up. While developing in the minor leagues, Soto would learn a slider and a curveball, but he would rarely use those pitches until much later in his career.
