Michael Soroka’s outstanding debut season in 2019 won over Atlanta Braves supporters very quickly. Sadly, Soroka’s Achilles tear during the 2020 season ended that run of supremacy far too soon.
The little Canadian had a string of terrible injuries after that. Braves fans eventually seen the young right-hander return to the mound in Oakland last year, after a protracted and difficult journey back. But Soroka was not the same player he once was, and his 6.40 ERA in 2023 prevented him from making a name for himself in Atlanta.
Changed things for the 26-year-old Can
adian as a result. Soroka was sent to the rebuilding White Sox in Chicago as part of a six-player trade. It was believed that Soroka needed a change of scenery in order to rekindle his former career as a pitcher.
Regrettably, Soroka faced additional hardship as he was frequently struck hard during his starts in 2024. With nine balls in his hands as a starter to start the season, Soroka’s slash line was a dismal.251/.347/.509, which led to a 6.39 ERA. To keep Michael Soroka in the majors, though, a role swap could have been necessary.
Moving into the bullpen is Soroka.
Soroka made his debut appearance for the Chicago White Sox out of the bullpen on May 18, against the New York Yankees. He would pitch four innings of shutout baseball with seven strikeouts on that particular day. Soroka has made eight other appearances as a reliever since that day.
There have been five bullpen outings that have lasted multiple innings. Even while not every appearance has been flawless, Michael Soroka’s transition to the bullpen has changed him as a pitcher, as evidenced by the data.
As a reliever, Soroka has reduced the previously noted terrible slash line to.200/.333/.307. As a reliever, his ERA has completely decreased to 3.54. Moreover, Soroka’s wOBA (from.368 as a starter to.296 as a reliever) and FIP (from 6.75 as a starter to 3.35 as a reliever) have declined.
The increase in Soroka’s strikeout percentage has been the largest gain. Soroka’s first K% was 12.4. Impressively, Soroka has a 37.6 K% out of the bullpen. That explains the increase in speed during these shorter excursions.
In the meantime, Soroka has transformed into a different pitcher than the one Braves supporters remember him as—a sinkerball specialist in his peak. But this season, Soroka has increased his use of his slider and four-seamer while drastically reducing his use of sinkers.
And with good reason—according to Baseball Savant, opponents are batting under.200 when facing Soroka’s slider this season. His four-seamer is now playing much better out of the pen thanks to the increase in velocity. To become a major weapon out of the bullpen, Soroka still needs to improve his BB% (15.1% as a reliever).
However, Soroka’s 3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 7 K effort against the formidable Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday may have just accentuated this shift to the bullpen. Braves supporters may feel good about their 2015 first-round pick, even though his season numbers may not seem impressive to many at first. They know that his perseverance has finally paid off. All it required was a transfer to the Chicago bullpen.
