Mike Soroka was way too simple. Instead, the Atlanta Braves pitcher wants fans to call him by his full name.
Michael Soroka isn’t as easy to pronounce as “Mike,” but we’ll stick with that for now.
From time to time, members of the media are asked to call long-serving players by a different name. It’s a rare request, but one that’s generally accepted by the media, given that it’s a luxury to be able to speak with professional athletes. For example, Mitchell Trubisky of the Pittsburgh Steelers asked to be referred to as “Mitch” by the Pittsburgh media upon signing.
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Really, it’s up to the player to decide. Mike Soroka of the Braves would prefer you to call him by his full name in the future. It’s Michael.
Former teammate Luke Jackson, who recently signed with the San Francisco Giants, had fun at Soroka’s expense after Bowman’s announcement.
Atlanta Braves: Will Michael Soroka be part of the opening day rotation?
Soroka battles with longtime teammate and friend Ian Anderson for the final spot in the rotation. Anderson is coming off of a difficult season, and Soroka is often injured, and therefore not very reliable at this stage of his career. Either way, it’s good for Brian Snitker to have options at the back of his rotation. The loser of this spring training competition will likely be moved to the bullpen in a long relief and rotational insurance role.
« [Ian is] definitely my best friend on the team,” Soroka said of the impending position battle. “We have been together for a long time. It’s ironic that we never played together until we were in Triple-A last year. I think we’re both quite mature and understand that we’re both going to do what we have to do. We both wish the best for each other.”
If Soroka can regain some of his 2019 form, in which he finished sixth in voting for the NL’s Cy Young and went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA, he will be a shoe-in for that number 5 spot.
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