Salary tripled after moving to Washington D.C.
Appeared as a starter this season and made a relief pitching after losing in a row.
Resurrected with a hit rate of 0.189 and ‘iron fighting ability’
A pitcher who recorded only 0 wins and 10 losses in the Major League Baseball (MLB) this year succeeded in signing a large contract with an annual salary of 13 billion won. The protagonist is right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka (27, photo).
American media, including MLB.com and the Associated Press, reported on the 20th that Soroka signed a one-year contract with Washington worth $9 million. It is three times the $3 million salary he received from the Chicago White Sox this year.
The terms of the contract may not be well understood based on externally visible grades alone. Soroka’s ERA this season was not good at 4.74. However, several clubs were showing interest in Soroka, who had recovered from the middle of the season.
Soroka began this season as a starting pitcher. However, as the losing streak continued, his position was changed to a bullpen pitcher in the middle of the season. This has been a godsend. In 9 games as a starter, Soroka’s record was 0 wins, 5 losses, and an average ERA of 6.39. However, after changing positions, he transformed into a league-level bullpen pitcher. Due to the team’s lowest winning percentage in the entire MLB this year (41 wins, 121 losses, 0.253 winning percentage), they only suffered 5 losses without a win, but their hitting percentage was only 0.189. The average ERA was also high at 2.75. Above all, he showed excellent strikeout ability, striking out 60 batters while pitching 36 innings.
Soroka, who joined Atlanta as a first-round pick in 2015, made his MLB debut in 2018. In the 2019 season, he recorded 13 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 2.68, and was evaluated as a next-generation ace. Soroka ranked second in the Rookie of the Year voting that year, following Pete Alonso (New York Mets), and ranked sixth in the Cy Young Award voting.
However, the 2020 season went downhill as he injured his Achilles tendon while playing defense. Due to this injury, he missed the entire years of 2021 and 2022. When he returned last year, he recorded 2 wins, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 6.40 in 7 games.
Soroka, who spent most of his MLB career as a starting pitcher, is expected to return as a starting pitcher in Washington next year. MLB.com said, “Soroka will play an important role in Washington’s starting lineup. “If necessary, we will be able to utilize the bullpen experience gained this year.”
Reporter Lee Heon-jae [email protected]
-
- great
- 0dog
-
- I’m sad
- 0dog
-
- I’m angry
- 0dog