Mike Soroka’s All-Star-worthy start can be attributed to a clean bill of mind and health.
The Canadian right-hander, after pitching in only five games last season, arguably has been baseball’s best starter. Across five starts in May, he produced a 0.79 ERA and held opponents to a .145 average.
“It’s rewarding just to be able to go out there healthy every day, that’s No. 1,” Soroka said. “To be able to do it over and over again, it’s something you can’t even ask for. You just ask to take the mound healthy, give your best effort and things won’t always go your way, but to have it happen for a while now is special.”
Soroka is soft-spoken and modest, usually deflecting credit to those around him. His teammates routinely praise him, especially infielders, who enjoy playing behind him with his penchant for grounders.
“When he’s starting, there’s going to be a lot of ground balls, a lot of action, weak contact,” catcher Brian McCann said. “He keeps everyone on their toes.”
Even first baseman Freddie Freeman acknowledged the comparisons with Greg Maddux, given Soroka’s poise and command. As ludicrous as drawing parallels to Hall of Famers can be, Soroka’s makeup is impossible to ignore.
His ERA this month is second-best in the majors among qualified pitchers. He’s been the team’s best starter despite missing spring training with a troublesome shoulder. He’s posting a 46:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Soroka is one of only three starters since 1920 to allowed one or no earned runs across his first eight outings.
“A lot of it is getting away from baseball more than I would previously,” he said. “It helps you take the mound with a clear mind every fifth game, whereas you don’t want to get to June or August and you’re tired of baseball. So I’ve done a better job of shutting down away from the field, separating a little bit, and staying happy and intense on the mound.”
Considered a hopeful contributor entering opening day, Soroka has now become crucial to the Braves’ pursuit of another postseason berth. He and Max Fried have topped the rotation with front-line starter abilities, while Julio Teheran’s resurgence have fortified the middle.
But with how the Braves are set up, they can’t afford to miss Soroka or Fried for extended time, especially with Mike Foltynewicz working his way back into form and Kevin Gausman struggling. Soroka already has pitched 50-2/3 innings, but if there’s a plan to limit his workload, he’s unaware.
Innings management has yielded mixed results, and as the Braves see it, doing so isn’t a mechanism against later injuries. So as it sits today, they’ll continue letting Soroka and Fried pitch, perhaps eventually skipping starts or working in other young arms to keep him fresh for a potential postseason series.
“Not as far as I know,” Soroka said of an innings plan. “It was just a goal to be honest with the training staff, that if we do feel anything it’s brought to them quickly so we can take care of it there and it might save us. We’ll play it game-by-game and let it roll.”
Last year’s run to the postseason required some unsung heroes and youngsters exceeding expectations. It’s fair to say Soroka has already done so, but the next task is continuing consistency over his first full MLB season.
As for a possible postseason run this year, Soroka has scanned the schedule and believes the Braves can forge their own path.
“You look at our schedule, and I think we’ve got almost nothing but the NL East the rest of the year,” he said. “When it comes to that, we’re controlling our own fate. It’s up to us to go out there and show everyone else what we did last year and how we can do it again this year. It’s all about getting there to the World Series, and I think this team can do that.”
