Gregory Soto thought he ruined his chance. Fire a pitch too close to Gunnar Henderson and forget about playing for the Orioles.
The anecdote is more amusing when told in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Progressive Field, where the Orioles played the Guardians last night.
Soto was acquired from the Phillies last Friday for right-handed pitchers Seth Johnson and Moisés Chace. He met his teammates and drew a crowd of media at his locker.
There was a lot of it going around with five newcomers at the scene. Trevor Rogers wasn’t bothered until later because he was the starting pitcher. Can’t break the unwritten rule.
A three-game series in Baltimore in June gave Soto more chances to observe and study the Orioles.
“It’s a really young and competitive team,” he said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I remember facing Henderson, and during one at-bat I threw it high and inside and I thought after that maybe they wouldn’t want me here. But I’m really excited for this opportunity and I’m really happy to be here.”
Soto wasn’t a malcontent in Philadelphia but he wanted to close and the club didn’t think he should anymore. The Phillies were made aware and kept using him in lower-leverage situations.
Craig Kimbrel remains the Orioles’ closer but has undergone a few resets along the way.
Those periods present opportunities.
“For the last few months I’ve been looking for a new environment, a new team that can give me the opportunity to excel and play well, and I’m really excited, I’m really happy to be here right now,” Soto said.
“I was focusing on doing a good job over there whenever my name was called, but with that being said, we had conversations, my agent and I, with the team and if the opportunity popped up to go somewhere else, that was something we were willing to do. Things just happened to work out that way, where it happened now and I’m happy to be here.”
The Orioles don’t usually assign duties to relievers beyond closer or consumer of multiple innings to save the rest of the bullpen. Just be ready when the phone rings.
“I did talk to the coaches, and they were very clear with me that my job was just to help the team in any way that I can,” he said. “Doesn’t come down to a specific role, but whenever my name is called, got to go out there and get the job done.”
Left-handers have hit .199/.297/.269 against him in his career. Manager Brandon Hyde will pick his spots and match up.
“I think my mentality is to attack them,” Soto said. “That’s the handedness that I have the most success against, so I just go out there with a lot of aggression, looking to attack them and let them get themselves out.”
Soto isn’t a total stranger in his new surroundings. He’s reunited with former Phillies teammates Kimbrel and Seranthony Domínguez.
“They’re a big part of me and what I was able to do last year,” he said. “I thought we had great chemistry and this is a group that has great chemistry all around, so I’m really excited to be a part of this group and excited to play with them again.”
* Colton Cowser’s 14-game hitting streak is the longest by an Orioles rookie since Trey Mancini (17) in 2017. Cowser is batting .385 (20-for-52) with four home runs, 13 RBIs and a 1.114 OPS during his streak.
* FanGraphs lists Orioles reliever Burch Smith with one minor league option, but that’s incorrect. He’s out of options and must clear waivers before being sent down.
* Coby Mayo went 4-for-6 with his 22nd double, two RBIs and a stolen base for Triple-A Norfolk.
Center fielder Daniel Johnson homered twice, giving him 16, and drove in six runs. Brandon Young allowed one earned run (five total) and struck out 10 batters in five innings.
Single-A Delmarva’s Braxton Bragg allowed one hit in five scoreless innings and struck out seven.
