If there is one thing the Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten right in recent years, it’s building a pitching staff. Their rotation is fully homegrown, and many of their relievers were acquired on low-cost methods, such as minor league contracts or waiver claims. The Bucs haven’t let many pitchers slip through the cracks. However, there is one pitcher they probably regret letting go. That is right-hander Jose Soriano. Soriano looks like he is in the midst of an outstanding breakout campaign.
The Los Angeles Angels originally signed Soriano out of the Dominican Republic in 2016. The right-hander broke out in 2019 when he put up a 2.51 ERA, struck out 26.6% of opponents, and only allowed 0.55 home runs per nine innings between rookie ball and A-Ball. Soriano had a poor 14.7% walk rate; however, by the start of 2020, Soriano ranked as the Angels’ seventh-best prospect on Baseball America and 13th on MLB Pipeline.
Unfortunately, that was when injuries began to set in. Soriano underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2020. While no minor league player played a competitive game because of COVID in 2020, Soriano wouldn’t have played anyway, recovering from the elbow procedure. The Angels opted not to add Soriano to their 40-man roster to protect him in the Rule-Five draft. Since the Pirates had the first overall selection of the 2020 draft, they took the hard-throwing right-hander from the Angels.
A Short Detour to Pittsburgh
Soriano then entered 2021 as the Bucs’ 25th-best prospect on Pipeline’s list, and their 18th-best on BA’s list. While Soriano started the season on the IL, still recovering from surgery, he would eventually return to action by late May. He made his debut in the Pirates’ system at A-Ball Bradenton, firing off three scoreless innings with no walks, allowing just a single hit, and striking out five. However, that promising start would quickly come crashing down. Soriano would then allow six earned runs on five hits and three walks in just 0.2 innings.
It turns out Soriano would need yet another Tommy John surgery in June. That marked the second time he would need the same elbow procedure in less than two years. Since that would mean Soriano would miss most of 2022, the Bucs opted to send him back to the Angels after the end of the 2021 campaign.
Return to Los Angeles
2022 was mostly a lost season, as he pitched just 13 innings in the Angels’ system. However, things started to trend upward for Soriano in 2023. The Angels called him up to the Major Leagues in early June. He proceeded to put up a 3.64 ERA, strikeout 30.3% of opponents, and induce a ground ball 51% of the time over 42 innings. Unsurprisingly, that high of a GB% led to a strong 0.66 HR/9. Control issues still plagued Soriano, with a 12.4% BB%, but it was the first time since 2019 that the right-hander had pitched at least 15 innings in a year. Soriano’s work all came out of the bullpen.
Things only got better from here for the Angels and Soriano. Despite his lengthy injury history, the Angels opted to move him to their rotation. That decision has worked out masterfully. Between 2024 and 2025, Soriano tallied 282 innings of work while posting a 3.93 ERA, 3.76 FIP, and 1.32 WHIP. Although his K% dipped to a 20.3%, he cut down on the walks with a 10.3% BB%. Soriano became baseball’s best ground ball starter. His 63.1% GB% was the best among any pitcher with 200+ IP between these two seasons. Thus far surpassing Andre Pallante of the St. Louis Cardinals at 60.2%.
A 2026 breakout?
Soriano has been one of baseball’s most untouchable starters early on in the 2026 season. He has pitched 32 2/3 innings over five starts, allowing just a single earned run via a home run. Soriano is still inducing ground balls at an outstanding 59.7% rate, but is now striking opponents out at a 32.5% rate. His whiff rate sits at 33%, compared to only 27% last season. His uptick in K’s hasn’t come at the cost of allowing more free passes either, with a 10.8% BB%.
The One That Got Away
The Pirates’ decision to let Soriano return to the Angels wasn’t completely irrational. Two Tommy John surgeries in less than two years is a potential career-ender for many players. However, even with how stacked the Pirates’ current rotation is, having Soriano would make their starting five the best in the league without question. It’s one move the Pirates likely wish they could redo, especially considering he was a Rule-Five draft pick they acquired for nothing at the time.
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
