An Interview with Atlanta Braves Prospects Mike Soroka and Kolby Allard
Atlanta Braves pitching prospects Mike Soroka and Kolby Allard sat down with me yesterday in Mississippi for an exclusive interview on a variety of topics.
Last season was truly a great year for both Mike Soroka and Kolby Allard. Both were selected by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the 2015 Draft, they both started in Single-A Rome.
Soroka was able to stay in Rome for the whole season, while Allard got his start in the summer after an extended spring training due to some back issues.
Soroka and Allard were both key pieces in Rome’s championship season, which played a big factor in them receiving the call to start this season in Double-A Mississippi. They both sat down with me yesterday after a Mississippi Braves game and answered some of my questions.
Winning
the Braves have put together more of a winning culture per se than another organization might in a minor league system
Thanks for taking some time with me. Let me get right to it. Both of you guys had a great opportunity last year in Rome, champions.
Let’s start with you, Mike. What did it mean to you to be a part of that?
MS: When first coming into pro ball, you get the sense that it is really not important to win games. It is more developmental based.
Sometimes some things happen in baseball where the outcome is not necessarily how you played but getting to Rome and then quickly realizing that winning was, I mean, A) it’s more fun and B) everybody is happier when everybody is winning. You kind of start to see what it does for the team and the group and the town.
I played through the second half. We come out, we are firing on all cylinders, and you know, being on a winning team like that it is pretty special.
Is it a little bit different I guess? I mean you might have prepared just to go out there and develop. Was it different getting the opportunity to pitch in a playoff series?
MS: Yes, definitely. I mean anytime during the year, once you realize that you are playing for the guys that are sitting next to you and the coaches, Mr. Randy (Ingle) as well and Mike Dunn who does not get mentioned enough.
Once you realize that you are playing for them and it means a lot to them, I think that goes into it as well.
Momentum
Now Kolby, you went back down to Danville, I know you had some back issues, and you came back up to Rome. What was it like ending the season in that manner? What did it also mean to you?
KA: Yes, I mean, obviously like Mike said, the Braves have put together more of a winning culture per se than another organization might in a minor league system. That is always fun to go out there and win games, as Mike said.
Personally, it is just coming back and getting some innings under my belt. I have not thrown for a while after I had surgery, so I was a little rusty to start it off.
Then I went down to Danville, got my feet back under me and then I was rolling from there. It is obviously nice to jump into that rotation with Mike and Patrick and Max and Ricardo and Touki and those guys, so it is kind of just picking up where they left off and going out there every five days and try to help the team get a W.
Speaking of those guys, I think last year it was mentioned; I think J.J. Cooper of Baseball America said this could go down as one of the most loaded teams in minor league history. I know Max (Fried) made the jump with you guys as well, was any of that extra motivation for the both of you to kind of pitch better or go out there and compete?
MS: I mean we knew at the end of the year once Max turned it on. He had all of his stuff working every single night. We knew who he is. He had a long couple of years in rehab — he dwelled on that for a while and once he came out and we started to see it pick up for him, we were pretty sure that he was going to make that jump anyways.
Then with spring coming in, we were pretty certain we were going to end up with the Florida State League, and as spring training started to come to an end, we got more apprehensive and thought there was a bigger and bigger and bigger chance of us coming here (Mississippi).
I think regardless of what other guys do I think we would like to do that for our career as well. I mean that is enough motivation right there.
Now, you mentioned the finding out that you would be coming to Mississippi. I will go with you, Kolby. You all made the jump. You are 19 years old. What does it mean to you to know that the Braves organization believes in you guys that much?
KA: Yes, obviously it is good that they have faith in us in that manner, but I am sure speaking for Mike and myself we are both confident in what we can do.
If you go out there and execute your pitches and what you are trying to do, no matter what level you are at, more often than not if you make your pitch it is going to turn out to be more often than not like I said, a positive outcome.
That is the way I look at it, and I am sure Mike is the same way.
Now it is early in the season, with just a few starts under your belt. The average age in the Southern league’s 24. I mean you guys are 19, you are pretty below that. I will go with you, Mike, have you all prepared any differently?
MS: Not really. I think I am in a little bit different of a place mentally to start the year than I was last year. Last year was kind of going into it. First full season did not know what was going on as opposed to coming in this year and being ready and knowing what I have to do to be ready every five days.
I think just being in a good place with all my pitches and attacking every single pitch, I think that is all it comes down too. There’s not anything you kind of need to worry about extra just because you are in Double-A.
You get your routine. You get what works for you, and you keep executing every day.
There’s not anything you kind of need to worry about extra just because you are in Double-A. You get your routine. You get what works for you, and you keep executing every day.
Have you all noticed anything differently with the hitting that’s going on? Double-A is a little bit different in the sense of approaches. Most of the players here have been developing.
KA: Yes, I mean I would say the biggest difference is that if you miss a pitch, they are going to capitalize on it more often than not and again, in A-ball or whatever if you make a mistake sometimes they will still miss it.
I would say the margin for error here is the biggest difference. It is a lot smaller than it was last year.
MS: You do not see guys taking aimless swings on hitter’s counts, on 2-0, 3-1 counts. You see them swinging at their pitch, and they are not taking a bad swing. There’s a lot more swing with intent.
They take the swing, and they meant to hit it because they are looking for that pitch. Sometimes they will throw a slider, and he is going to swing over it, but he is going to swing over hard because he thought it was your fastball.
You see that a lot more and it is easier to pick up on plans and pick up on what they are doing, and it is easier to come out and have a game plan yourself.
I will bring this question to you first Kolby, what’s the one part of your game that you want to improve the most this year?
KA: I feel I do not really have any glaring things. I want to become more well rounded with just my whole repertoire but if I had to choose one thing, I’d probably — I am still working on trying to throw both my off-speed pitches for strikes behind in the count.
I would say that is a big thing because when guys are sitting fastball, no matter really how hard you throw they are going to hit it.
The way I look at it, a fastball is different, but your margin for error is a lot less, so if you can spin the hook over 2-0 or throw a change 2-0 for a strike, it’s really going to open up a lot of different things later in the out bat or later in the game.
Mike, same point of view?
MS: Yes, it is pretty much the same. I have always prided myself in taking a decent approach on the mound to holding runners and all the little things that go into the game but as far as pitching, it is much of the same. Just being able to do that, night in night out, not just the occasional start here and there.
Once you get that down then you can start worrying about locating your breaking ball to both sides of the plate like your fastball, so I think that is really it this year and not just being able to go out there and throw strikes every day but quality strikes.
The Not-Pitching Bits
All right Kolby, I saw a tweet from you about hitting. How is that going?
KA: It is just fun. Haven’t swung in a couple of years. It is fun to go out there and try to put the bat on the ball.
Obviously first and foremost our job is to get the bunts down. As long as we are getting the bunts down, everything else is just extra fun I guess.
Now did you guys both get to swing much in high school?
MS: Yeah we did. It is fun to get out there and swing. I still think aside from being on the mound during the game, it is the most fun part about baseball, I think.
Everyone will agree, just hitting the ball is a good feeling, but you get out there, and the game to me seems to speed up because I look up at the third inning and I am on deck, so I have to rush to get my helmet on and everything.
I do not think once you get used to it that it will sway you off your game, it is just about getting used to, that is all.
The Braves obviously opened up Sun Trust Park last weekend, did you guys get a chance to see the park?
KA: I have not been to it since it is opened. I had got a little tour before it was – well, we both did get a little tour.
Do you all think it looks awesome?
MS: Yes. It looks unreal. Everything for the fans, the whole player atmosphere, and concourse. Amenities is just — it is second to none.
A Different Climate
Now Kolby I know that you are from California, Mike you are from Canada. Now you are in Pearl, Mississippi, is there anything that’s a little bit of a shell shock or culture change?
KA: Honestly, it is a little bit different back home, from like a little Beach Town. However, maybe we got a little bit of that in Rome last year.
MS: Pearl’s right next to Jackson, a bit of a bigger town. Rome is a little more in the sticks per se.
KA: Yeah Rome is a much smaller town.
MS: It is about an hour and a half from Atlanta and not really close to much else. However, Pearl’s right here in Jackson, a lot more people, a little bit of traffic, but not really, I like it.
Acuna or Later
All right, now, the last question. I have had two people ask me this, and I think there’s a lot of Braves fans who are excited for him. How impressive is Ronald Acuna?
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KA: Honestly, I have not seen him play a ton. He was only there in Rome with me for about a month.
However, from what I have seen he is very impressive, and hopefully, he turns out to be a very, very special center fielder.
MS: For me it is — the thing that surprised me coming into pro ball because he was in the GCL when I signed, I saw him there in Danville, when I went to Danville, and he came shortly after, it was just his ability.
His comfort level at the plate, being able to see it, you do not see that too much. A couple of guys on each team you will say, “That guy is comfortable. He can hit that at this level.” You can tell even in Danville, he got his swings in, and he did not ever swing at terrible pitches.
KA: He has an advanced approach at the plate, that is for sure.
The Wrap
As you can tell, the Braves made two great decisions in the 2015 draft. They are both very professional and have the drive to compete.
They ooze confidence in their stuff, which is something that we do not see much of. It is going to be much fun watching them move up the ranks through the system, and Braves Country should have a lot to look forward too.
Soroka is 2-0 this season so far with a 0.77 ERA, 11.2 IP, and 14 K. Allard is 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA, 16 IP, and 9 K.