The Angels will build José Soriano up as a starting pitcher in camp, manager Ron Washington announced this morning (link via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com). The right-hander is scheduled to start tomorrow’s matchup with the D-Backs, in which he’ll throw three innings.
Soriano is going into his second big league season. He pitched exclusively out of the bullpen as a rookie, logging 42 innings across 38 appearances. Soriano was one of the team’s better relievers, working to a 3.64 ERA. He punched out 30.3% of opposing hitters behind an excellent 14.8% swinging strike rate. Over half the batted balls he did allow were hit on the ground.
While his MLB work was in relief, Soriano had a track record of starting in the minors. He worked from the rotation into Low-A ball in 2019. Prospect evaluators considered the 6’3″ hurler an intriguing starting pitching prospect at that time, but injuries wrecked his next three seasons.
Soriano blew out his elbow in Spring Training 2020 and underwent Tommy John surgery. The Angels left him off the 40-man roster despite being eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Pittsburgh selected him with the first pick in that winter’s Rule 5 proceeding, aiming to stash him on the injured list while he completed his rehab.
That netted Soriano big league pay and service time but not the major league opportunity for which he’d been hoping. He felt recurring elbow pain during his minor league rehab and required a second Tommy John procedure that June. Pittsburgh sent him back to the Angels that winter instead of carrying him on the 40-man roster for a second rehab. Soriano missed almost all of 2022, only throwing 13 low minors innings on his rehab.
With almost three full seasons wrecked by elbow injuries, using Soriano in relief last year was prudent. He stayed healthy and was able to tally 65 1/3 frames between Double-A and the majors. The organization evidently hasn’t given up hope of him as a starter over the long haul. They’ll at least give him the chance to compete for a rotation role in camp.
The Angels aren’t alone in that regard. Teams like the Braves (Reynaldo López), Giants (Jordan Hicks), White Sox (Garrett Crochet) and Rays (Chris Devenski) have at least considered rotation roles for former relievers this spring. Tampa Bay has been particularly successful with this kind of move in recent years, moving each of Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell from bullpen to rotation jobs.
Of course, injuries suffered by Rasmussen and Springs hint at the downside. Some pitchers (e.g. Jameson Taillon, Nathan Eovaldi) have stuck as starters despite having two Tommy John surgeries in their past. It’s not particularly common, though, so Soriano’s injury history could lead to questions about whether he’d hold up as starter. He’d at least be on an innings limitation in 2024. Soriano has never thrown more than 82 1/3 innings in a professional season. The Angels aren’t going to ask him to make 30 starts this year.
There’s also simply the question of whether Soriano has the command to stick. While he’s capable of overpowering hitters, he walked more than 12% of batters faced a year ago. He’d need to improve upon that as a starter, with the Angels hoping he can dial in his command as he gets further from the three-year layoff. Soriano worked mostly with a mid-80s curveball and a pair of upper 90s fastballs (sinker/four-seam) in relief. His breaking ball is already one of the best in the majors, but he didn’t use a changeup at any point in 2023.
The Angels have built this offseason around their bullpen. They’ve added Robert Stephenson, Luis García, Adam Cimber, Matt Moore and José Cisnero in free agency. The Halos haven’t directly addressed the rotation, although their volume approach to the bullpen could increase their comfort in giving Soriano a real chance to crack the starting five.
Washington has made clear the Halos will go with a five-man rotation in the post-Shohei Ohtani era. Barring a late addition from outside the organization, they’re set to go with Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, Griffin Canning and likely Tyler Anderson as the top four. Soriano joins Chase Silseth, Zach Plesac, José Suarez and another potential rotation convert Andrew Wantz in the battle for the last spot.
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