José Soriano

Note: This page discusses 2020s pitcher José Soriano. For the 1997-1999 CPBL and minor league pitcher of the same name, click here.

José Joaquin Soriano

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 168 lb.

• Debut June 3, 2023

• Born October 20, 1998 in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional D.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher José Soriano was the first pick of the 2020 Rule V Draft, by the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 10, 2020.

He was originally signed by the Los Angeles Angels on March 4, 2016 and began his career that same year with the DSL Angels, going 3-5, 1.58 in 14 starts. He moved to the United States in 2017, splitting the season between the AZL Angels and Orem Owlz, two Rookie-level teams, and going a combined 2-2, 2.92 in 13 games. 2018 was his first year of full-season ball, spent in the Class A Midwest League with the Burlington Bees. He found the going a bit tougher, finishing at 1-6, 4.47 in 14 starts. He then repeated the level in 2019, also pitching a few times back in the Arizona League on a rehabilitation assignment. He went a combined 5-7, 2.51 in 20 games (18 starts), logging 82 1/3 innings and striking out 92 batters against 51 walks. He underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the season, meaning that the fact that the 2020 minor league season was cancelled did not affect him much, as he would not have been expected to pitch that year in any case.

He only made two appearances in the Pirates' system in 2021, both for the Bradenton Marauders of what was called the Low-A Southeast that year, but he gave up 7 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 3 2/3 innings. The Pirates felt he was too far away from the majors to justify the continued use of a 40-man roster spot on him, and when they tried to outright him to the minors the following November, the Angels exercised their right to claim him back. He spent the 2022 season on rehabilitation assignments between the ACL Angels and Inland Empire 66ers of the California League in order to build back his arm strength, putting up an ERA of 2.08 in 13 innings. He was finally ready to resume his career in 2023 when he was assigned to the Rocket City Trash Pandas of the AA Southern League to start the year. In his first 17 games, he was 0-2, 4.24 and on June 3rd was called up to the majors, making his debut by pitching the 8th inning in a 9-6 loss to the Houston Astros. He gave up just one walk in his inning of work. He made 38 appearances in relief for the Angels, going 1-3, 3.64 and pitching 42 innings.

In 2024, he moved back to being a starting pitcher, making 20 starts in 22 appearances for the Angels and going 6-7, 3.42. He gave up just 91 hits in 113 innings and struck out 97 while walking 45. In 2025, he started 31 games, upped his innings to 169, and finished at 10-11, 4.26 with 152 strikeouts. He was largely under the radar because the Angels were not a good team, but he led them in wins and was second in both innings and strikeouts to Yusei Kikuchi, who had a much higher profile due to his being a free agent signee. He started 2026 pitching very well however, and that attracted some media attention. After three starts, he was 3-0, having allowed just 7 hits and 1 run over 20 innings while striking out 21 and putting up a minuscule ERA of 0.45. He then followed that with seven scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds on April 12th, lowering his ERA to 0.33 and making it four wins in four starts. His beginning to the season was nothing short of historic: he was the first pitcher since 1900 to pitch at least 25 innings in his first four starts while allowing 10 or fewer hits and 2 or fewer runs. His next start came on April 17th, in the game following the announcement of the death of team icon Garret Anderson. He continued on his dominant streak, with 5 2/3 scoreless innings in an 8-0 win over the San Diego Padres, lowering his ERA to 0.28. He was unable to make it six wins in six starts when he faced the Toronto Blue Jays on April 22nd, but it was through no fault of his own: he pitched another five scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 0.24, and left with a 3-0 lead, but the Jays tied the game in the 7th, before the Angels came back to score four more runs and finish as 7-3 winners, with the W going to reliever Brent Suter. He finished April with an ERA of 0.84 and was named the American League Pitcher of the Month.

Further Reading

• Brent Maguire: "This flame-throwing AL West starter has dominated in 2026", mlb.com, April 11, 2026. [1]
• Mike Petraglia: "Soriano's brilliance moves into historic territory as he continues to roll", mlb.com, April 12, 2026. [2]

Related Sites

• José Soriano on mlb.com
• BR Minors page