Michael Soroka

Soroka broke out with Atlanta in 2019 when he was an All-Star and the runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year, but injuries have wiped out the better part of the last four seasons. He tore his right Achilles in August of 2020 and suffered a complete re-tear of the same tendon less than a year later. While the right-hander was expected to be a full go last spring, he went down early with a hamstring injury and ended the season on the injured list with forearm inflammation, making only seven appearances (six starts) for the major-league club in between and struggling to a 6.40 ERA. His numbers at Triple-A Gwinnett were highly respectable (3.41 ERA, 1.07 WHIP), but regardless Atlanta decided to move on in the offseason, trading Soroka to the White Sox in the Aaron Bummer deal. Still just 26 years old, Soroka will attempt to stay healthy and revitalize his career, perhaps as a member of the starting rotation.

Soroka saw game action in 2022 for the first time in two years after he recovered from a pair of Achilles tears, but he made only five starts for Triple-A Gwinnett after he was activated from the IL before being shut down with elbow soreness. Soroka was a borderline ace for Atlanta in 2019 with a 2.68 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 142:41 K:BB across 174.2 innings, but the past few years have been one setback after another with injuries. Even if he stays healthy in 2023, Soroka is likely to have significant workload restrictions with only 38.2 innings pitched across the last three seasons, and Atlanta likely isn't counting on him to be a reliable rotation piece.

Soroka was a 2019 success story, winning 13 games in the majors as a 21-year old, but he saw his 2020 season end in his third start when his Achilles' tendon tore as he bounced off the mound to field a bunt. Sadly, 13 months into his rehab, he completely tore it again doing something as simple as walking through the Atlanta clubhouse in late June. The second surgery used a graft from his hamstring for sutures, so hopefully this one will hold. That said, his best chance at pitching in 2022 is if Atlanta once again makes it deep into the postseason.

Heading into the 2020 season, the opinions on Soroka varied widely. Many admired his ability to command the strike zone with pinpoint control to make his rather average velocity play up in the eyes of the hitters. Others worried about his lack of swing-and-miss when he had to pitch in the zone and wondered if he had enough strikeouts in him to play up in shallow league formats. There were also workload concerns with his young age. Most of the questions were not answered as Soroka's season ended after his 199th pitch of the season when he tore his Achilles' tendon attempting to complete a fielding play. Prior to that unfortunate incident, the command was not the same and the fears concerning the lack of swing-and-miss were looking justified. Reports have him ready to resume pitching on time in 2021, and it is up to Soroka to prove his doubters wrong and show there is more to pitching than velocity.

A shoulder issue kept Soroka from breaking camp with the big club and mostly killed the sleeper buzz he had been generating last spring, but that only made him a major bargain for those that nabbed him at a reduced price. After proving his health with a couple starts at Triple-A, Soroka joined the Atlanta rotation in mid-April and established himself as the majors' best rookie pitcher. The 22-year-old erased any durability concerns by making 29 starts, and he showed no signs of wearing down either, delivering a 2.95 ERA and 1.17 WHIP after the All-Star break while keeping his K-BB% in line with his first-half rate. More of a command/control specialist than a power pitcher, Soroka lacks the strikeout upside of the game's elite arms, but his ability to limit walks and generate weak contact gives him a high floor in the ratio categories. He's a worthy No. 2 or 3 starter for any fantasy pitching staff.

Soroka was called up at 20 years old to make his big-league debut May 1 after just four starts at Triple-A, but a season that should have served as his coming out party was largely marred by shoulder issues. He landed on the DL in mid May with a strain and came back to make two big-league starts in mid June before getting shut down for the season with rotator cuff inflammation. There were reportedly no tears or structural damage, but it is concerning that he missed more than three months, with his manager saying in late August that Soroka pitching in the instructional league would be a "best-case" scenario. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound righty had proven extremely durable prior to 2018, and has No. 2 starter upside, offering potentially stellar ratios. Still the Braves' best pitching prospect, Soroka could break camp in the big-league rotation if he impresses in spring training, but if he is a little rusty, they won't hesitate to send him back to Triple-A.

It is typically unwise to target pitching prospects with the "high floor" tag, but Soroka might be the exception. It is rare for a teenage starter to skip High-A and go straight from Low-A to Double-A, but he made it look easy. The 6-foot-5 righty finished second in the Southern League in ERA (2.75) and sixth in K-BB% (14.5 percent). He might be the best pitcher in the minors at changing hitters' eye levels with his low-90s fastball, which helps it play up as a plus offering. His slider isn't a traditional wipeout pitch, but he can manipulate the speed and shape to keep hitters off balance. Soroka's changeup is his clear third pitch, and he will need to continue to refine the offering in order to neutralize lefties. He has had success pounding the zone, boasting a career 1.9 BB/9 and 2.91 ERA. His pitchability is extremely advanced for his age -- so advanced that he could find success in the Braves' rotation this year before he turns 21 in early August.

Soroka finally allowed a home run in his second pro season. In fact, he allowed three, leaving him with a career rate of one home run per 59 innings. He also has a career 1.13 WHIP after completing a full season in the Sally League, logging 110.2 of his 143 innings before his 19th birthday. The ability to command three pitches while demonstrating advanced pitchability is a rare skill set for anyone in their first year in a full-season league. It is especially rare when it is a pitcher who stands 6-foot-4 with plus stuff who is showing that kind of advanced feel. Soroka was almost four years younger than the average hitter he faced in 2016 -- a trend that will continue as he moves up the ranks, beginning in 2017 in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. He can't quite mirror the upside of Kolby Allard, who, like Soroka, was popped by the Braves in the first round of the 2015 draft, but few pitchers in the lower levels can match Soroka's floor as a future No. 3/4 starter.