Quick Facts
Biography
Michael John Graydon Soroka (born August 4, 1997) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Braves drafted him 28th overall in the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2018. Soroka was an All-Star in 2019.
Early life
Soroka grew up in Calgary, Alberta, the son of Gary, a former university and junior hockey player, and Sally Soroka; he attended Bishop Carroll High School. He was a goalie in youth hockey before deciding to concentrate on baseball. He pitched for the junior national team, coached by Chris Reitsma. He committed to play college baseball for the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to the 2015 draft, he was ranked 88th in Baseball America's annual rankings of prospects.
Soroka's mother died in 2010 of melanoma, when he was twelve.
Career
Minor League Baseball
After being drafted and signed by the Braves, he reported to the GCL Braves, where he posted a 1.80 ERA in ten innings pitched before being reassigned to the Danville Braves, where he finished the season, going 0–2 with a 3.75 ERA in six starts. Soroka spent the 2016 season with the Rome Braves. There, he posted a 9–9 record with a 3.02 ERA.
Soroka spent 2017 with the Mississippi Braves, posting an 11–8 record with a 2.75 ERA in 153.2 inning pitched. As one of the youngest players in Double-A, Soroka participated in the All-Star Futures Game in July. Soroka began the 2018 season with the Gwinnett Stripers of the Class AAA International League.
Atlanta Braves
2018
On May 1, 2018, the Braves promoted Soroka to the major leagues. He faced the New York Mets that night, pitching six innings, yielding one run, and recording five strikeouts. He began feeling inflammation in his right shoulder after May 12, and was placed on the disabled list soon thereafter. Rehabilitation in the minor leagues followed throughout June. Because inflammation continued to be a problem, Soroka returned to the ten-day disabled list later that month. On June 27, he was transferred to the sixty-day disabled list. In July, it was reported that Soroka would be permitted to begin a throwing regimen by the middle of August. However, in late August, Braves manager Brian Snitker stated that Soroka would miss the remainder of the season. Overall with the 2018 Braves, Soroka registered 5 starts, a 2–1 record, 3.51 ERA, and 21 strikeouts in 25⁄3 innings pitched.
2019
Before the 2019 season began, Soroka was expected to be one of several pitching prospects to spend some time in the Braves' starting rotation. During the first week of spring training, Soroka disclosed shoulder discomfort first felt during an offseason workout in January 2019. Soroka maintained that the newly reported discomfort was a right trapezius strain, not an issue with his right scapula, which affected him during his debut season. Soroka was cleared to play catch in mid-March, followed by throwing batting practice. Soroka was sent to minor league camp without appearing in a spring training game. Soroka made his season debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 18, 2019, and became the youngest pitcher in the National League upon taking the mound. When he was placed on the National League Roster for the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Soroka set another age-related record, as the youngest Atlanta Braves pitcher to be named an all-star. That year, the Braves became the first team to send two players younger than 22 to the All-Star Game, as both Soroka and Ronald Acuña Jr. received that honor in 2019. With 29 starts in the 2019 season, Soroka pitched to a 13–4 record, 2.68 ERA, and 142 strikeouts in 174⁄3 innings. He was runner-up in NL Rookie of the Year voting to Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, and he placed 6th in NL Cy Young Voting.
2020
With the departure of Julio Teherán to the Los Angeles Angels, Soroka became the youngest Opening Day starting pitcher in Braves modern-era history. He opened the shortened season on July 24, 2020, pitching 6 scoreless innings against the New York Mets. On August 3, Soroka unexpectedly tumbled to the ground after throwing his 48th pitch of the game. He began limping and knelt down to await medical attention. Unable to walk off alone, he was helped off the field and left the game. It was later revealed that he suffered a torn Achilles tendon, prematurely ending his 2020 season. He pitched just 13⁄3 innings for the 2020 Braves, ending with a 0–1 record, 3.95 ERA, and 8 strikeouts over 3 starts.
