Michael Soroca is making his first start in spring against the St. Louis Cardinals today. His signature was one of the most fascinating moves the Nationals have made this offseason. At 27, Soroka saw not only extraordinary highs but also low craters.
Soroka’s name is a longtime Atlanta Brave and has had many successes, so it should sound familiar to Nats fans. In 2019, at just 21 years old, Soroka ran a magical campaign. he went 13-4 with 2.68 ERA in 174.2 innings. Soroka came in sixth in the Cy Young poll and second in Reokie of the Year Race, behind Pete Alonso.
But he was probably the unlucky man in baseball since. In 2020, Soroka blew Achilles out and covered the base. With a cruel twist of fate, Soroka was walking Achilles again through the Braves Clubhouse. This made him missed everything in 2021 and 2022.
In 2023, Soroka won for the Braves, but he wasn’t the same man. He posted a 6.40 ERA in 32.1 innings before finishing the season. It hurts once again. This was the end of his time in Atlanta, and it was shipped to the White Sox in a package for Aaron Bamar, the reliever.
With the worst team ever, Soroka went 0-10 with an ERA 4.74. But as you looked under the hood there were some signs he was thinking things. After being moved to the relief role for several innings, Soroka recorded an ERA of 2.75 in 36 innings with 60 strikeouts. However, Soroka and Nat believe this can return to spinning despite the 6.39 ERA he posted in the nine starts. That’s why the Nationals gave him a one-year $9 million deal.
Walks were a problem for Soroka in 2024, with five free passes issued per nine innings. However, in a healthy offseason, Soroka managed to solve these problems. After all, he was known as the command-oriented pitcher in Atlanta.
Soroka was primarily a brave sinker/slider man, but he had many successes with the 4-seam/slider mix with the White Sox. The batter hits Less than .200 For both of these pitches. His slider was a strikeout machine, with 50 of the 84 punchouts on the pitch.
Both his sinker and changeups need to be improved for Soroka to become an effective starter. It’s difficult to start with just two pitches. But as we saw in Chicago, his ones are played in the bullpen. Soroka is given a shot in the rotation to start the season, but if he struggles with the role, he can fit directly into the bullpen. Its flexibility is an asset in a busy rotation.
Soroka is one of the people I support most. Imagine being around the world at just 21 years old. At 27, he is looking for a second chance after showing that he has finally seen a glimpse of his previous greatness. The Nationals hope this is finally the year where Michael Soroka can regain some of the greatness he had at just 21 years old.
