TEMPE, Ariz. -- As manager Kurt Suzuki and the club’s pitching coaches sat down right-hander José Soriano on Monday to tell him he’d be the Opening Day starter this season, Soriano couldn’t help but get emotional.
Soriano endured plenty to earn that honor of facing the Astros on March 26, including undergoing two Tommy John surgeries and a brief stint in the Pirates’ organization after being the first pick in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. The 27-year-old has come a long way since he was signed out of the Dominican Republic for just $70,000 in ’16.
“When [Suzuki] told me that, I almost [started] crying to be honest because it’s a big honor for me,” Soriano said. “It feels great to have this opportunity. It feels incredible that they believe in me. It’s time to show what I can do for the team.”
Soriano got the nod after posting a 4.26 ERA with 152 strikeouts and 78 walks in 169 innings last year. Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi was the club’s Opening Day starter last year, but he pitched for Team Japan -- including a stint in relief -- in the World Baseball Classic.
He is still expected to start in one of the club’s four games in Houston to open the year, and fellow lefty Reid Detmers also has a guaranteed spot in the rotation, per Suzuki. But the fourth and fifth spots are still up for grabs, with right-hander Grayson Rodriguez likely to claim one and others like Alek Manoah, Jack Kochanowicz, Ryan Johnson, George Klassen and Mitch Farris battling for the final spot.
It’s Soriano’s third season as a starter after excelling in relief as a rookie in ’24 and the Angels are looking for big things from him this season.
“This guy earned it,” Suzuki said. “The guy's a workhorse. He's done everything right, does everything we ask. He was a little emotional in there. He’s had two Tommy Johns. And for him to be where he is now, he's somebody that earned it.”
Soriano certainly has elite stuff, as his sinker has touched 100 mph this spring and averaged 97.2 mph last year. He pairs it with a four-seamer that can also reach 100 mph, along with his knuckle-curveball and splitter. He also mixes in a slider and a traditional changeup in his arsenal.
“This year is going to be a huge year for him,” catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “That sinker is real. Even if you know it’s coming, it's still really, really hard to hit. Obviously, his breaking balls are real too. Last year, he learned the split and got really confident with it. And sometimes we used his slider and even effectively used his four-seam, too. Guys are sitting on the sinker and you can get either a cheap popup or a swing and miss.”
Soriano's sinker is one of the best in baseball, as his groundball rate was an MLB-best 65.3 percent, more than six percentage points higher than the second-highest groundball rate of 59.1 percent from the Cardinals' Andre Pallante.
He's also been dominant against the Astros, with a career 1.04 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings against them, including a 1.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts in nine innings at Daikin Park.
But he needs to avoid blowup outings more efficiently than he did last year. He gave up three earned runs or fewer in 23 of his 32 starts, but he also surrendered eight runs twice, seven runs twice and five runs four times.
“I think I need to keep up with the intensity and keep working hard,” Soriano said. “I need to keep my focus. But I think the key is to try to stay healthy and strong.”
Soriano also said he’s learned a lot from pitching coaches Mike Maddux and Darryl Scott this spring, and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez has also helped guide him after they connected last year.
The Santo Domingo native has also worked hard to perfect his English and is conducting his interviews without an interpreter for the first time this season. He believes it’s important to be able to connect with the fans and communicate better with his teammates and coaches.
He’s also been on an impressive roll on the mound, throwing six scoreless innings against the Giants on March 9 before hurling seven scoreless frames in a Minor League game on Saturday.
“I feel great,” Soriano said. “The first two were a little so-so. But the last couple have been good. So that's the goal, try to get better and better.”