Catching up with Atlanta Braves prospect, pitching savant Mike Soroka

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Dec 5, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) handles the puck against pressure from Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki (74) during the first period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

With the evolution of the game, including goal-tending equipment, who would you rather have on your team – 27-year-old Sidney Crosby or 27-year-old Wayne Gretzky and why?

MS – Sidney Crosby. Oh yeah. My dad played hockey in that era. Same era as Wayne Gretzky and he’s the first one to admit that the game is so much more evolved now than it was back then.

Guys are stronger. Guys are quicker. I mean, if you put the two together right now… they’re living in different eras obviously.

One of my trainers this year has worked with the Flames before and he also trains the women’s Canadian hockey team and when they go to the Olympics they travel with the men’s team and they’ve all said Sidney’s the best in the NHL. He just does everything in the game so well. There might be a better goal scorer in the game out there, like Alex Ovechkin, but just how much better Sidney makes his team… because hockey is such a team game… I would still say Sidney Crosby.

Greatest hockey goalie of all time (besides Greg Goldberg). Go.

I’m biased here. Stats-wise I just can’t be so sure on that. I just really loved watching the crazy good saves. Carey Price has got to be up there. And Patrick Roy. It’s such a hard decision because it’s such an objective opinion.

Did you have a favorite goalie from back in your goal-tending days?

MS – Yeah, Kiprusoff was my favorite. He basically made the team for a couple of years. If they didn’t have him they would have had to start their rebuild a lot sooner.

In my top 10 places to go is the Calgary Stampede. Have you ever been and is it awesome?

MS- Oh yeah, I’ve been every year that I’ve been in Calgary during the event. The Stampede is not just one big carnival or festival. It’s kind of all about the atmosphere in Calgary for two weeks. It’s parties pretty much every night. It’s a good time. I haven’t gone the last couple of years because obviously I’ve gone to play baseball. Hopefully it’s a while till I go again and I’ll be playing for a long time.

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Is there a guy (or guys) in the Braves farm right now who you’ve seen play, who… oh lets say is kinda under-the-radar? Someone who doesn’t get a ton of media attention, who you think has a lot of promise and could surprise folks?

MS – It’s funny because if you asked me this at the beginning of the season, I would have said Weigel hands down. And I would have also said Acuna because he’s pretty special, too.

Right now… I didn’t get to see a lot of the guys play in instructs, but as far as a hitter goes… we saw Tyler Neslony does some pretty good things in Rome. I think if he got hot, he could really surprise some people.

Next: Schuerholz makes The Hall!

I think Bryse Wilson, as well, could surprise a lot of folks. I saw him in instructs and he looked pretty good.

We as writers here at Tomahawk Take, and fans alike, are all excited to see where the future takes Mike Soroka. In an era when the Atlanta Braves are re-building their system around pitching talent, Mike Soroka is a huge part of the organization’s journey.

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