A Path to Improvement for George Soriano
Miscues in George Soriano's game that with a fix can take him to the next level of development
Opening
An intriguing arm in the Miami Marlins bullpen that no one is talking about is George Soriano. Soriano is 25 years old and has been with the Marlins his entire career, signing with them all the way back in 2015 when he was just 16. He originally was a starter but made his major league debut as a reliever in 2023 and has since split time between the Marlins and their Triple A affiliate, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
In his rookie season, Soriano pitched 52.0 innings and overperformed his expected results, posting a 3.81 ERA, 4.51 xERA, 4.37 FIP, and 4.68 xFIP. This is great and all, but 2024 wasn't as lucky. In the 29 and ⅓ innings he pitched for the Marlins, Soriano only managed a 6.75 ERA, 6.73 xERA, 6.03 FIP, and 4.84 xFIP.
This may be concerning to some onlookers, but I believe Soriano has the ability to be a quality reliever with a few adjustments. Soriano's main problems stem from a struggle to generate swings and misses, which in my mind tend to stem from a location standpoint. I believe that an adjustment to FB location, an addition of a gyro slider/depthy cutter, and a more consistent location on his changeup will allow Soriano to improve his swing and miss ability and prosper into a reliable reliever.
Delivery Characteristics
Before I get into the adjustments I would like to see from Soriano, let's look into his delivery characteristics. Soriano is a righty low supinator due to his low spin efficiency on his fastball (36%) and ability to maintain velocity on his slider. Soriano starts from the stretch and has linear movement toward the plate, allowing his lead foot to strike straight towards home plate. At landing, Soriano generates partial hip-shoulder separation, which I think could be emphasized more for improved velocity, but without a true biomechanical breakdown, it's hard to assess whether he would truly benefit from it. Despite this, Soriano is able to generate a low 5.1’ release height due to his low arm angle of 21 degrees despite below-average extension of 6.4’.
Adjustment to FB
The first change I would like to see from Soriano is regarding his 4-seam locations. Soriano's fastball has a shape of 11.2 iVB and 8.9 iHB while being thrown at a velocity of 94.1 MPH, which is not loved by Stuff + models being rated at a lowly 77. From what I can infer, the reason this pitch is disliked is because of Soriano's unexpected movement profile his FB creates relative to his arm angle, with 1.7” of unexpected drop and 1.9” of cut. This unexpected movement diminishes his swing and miss possibility and, as a result, generates a subpar 19.9 Whiff% and 87.8% Z-Con%.
What I think could help improve his swing and miss results, despite the poor shape, is to simply get Soriano off the heart of the plate. As you can see below, Soriano's typical location of this pitch is middle-middle, consequently resulting in the low whiff results. To improve this, I think Soriano should play into his natural pitch movement by locating glove side, as well as in the upper third of the zone, due to his low slot release. Some concerns may arise from the shape Soriano throws, because it poses the threat of dropping down into the batter's bat path, but I would be inclined to see how this pitch performs in the upper thirds due to the low VAA he’ll be able to produce.
Addition of Depthy Cutter
The next adjustment I could see the Marlins making is to add a bridge pitch to Soriano's arsenal. Currently Soriano's mix consists of a FB, SL, and CH, which is fine, but this causes him to zone his slider at an above-average rate of 50.7%. Consequently, this led to the poor results of a .314 AVG, .471 wOBA, .421 xwOBA, 31.7 Whiff%, 37.6 O-Sw%, and an insane 50.0 HR/FB%. These results just can't stay if Soriano wants to be an effective Major League pitcher.
To fix this problem, I think Soriano should add a depthy cutter that he can zone more frequently, and in turn allow for him to use his slider as more of a put-away pitch. To add onto this, it would make Soriano have an increased unpredictability and add depth to his rather shallow arsenal. I think this pitch is a must-add from a mix standpoint and a huge step in the right direction for Soriano.
Location Changes to Changeup
The next adjustment I could see being made to Soriano regards his changeup. Soriano's changeup is phenomenal; he is able to produce a shape of 1.9 iVB and 17.1 iHB while mustering up exceptional velocity at an 88.4 MPH clip. In 2023 this pitch was great, posting a .220 AVG, .250 xAVG, .259 wOBA, .288 xwOBA, and a 32.9 WHiff%. In 2024, it was good but mightily overperformed its expected results with a .222 AVG, .379 xAVG, .289 wOBA, .418 xwOBA, and generated a disappointing 23.1 Whiff%. With a great shape and exceptional velocity, why is this pitch projected to be so bad?
What I believe is causing these undesirable results is Soriano’s frequency to miss glove side and over the plate. As you can see in the image below, his most consistent location is low and arm side, but at times he misses glove side and over the heart of the plate. Consequently, this leads to the poor expected stats, as well as the diminishing swing and miss results. To stop this from happening, I think the Marlins should really emphasize a catcher position beyond the outer edge of the plate arm side to limit these miscues. This pitch is great, as evident by past results, but due to bad locations, it isn't as productive as it should be.
Usage Changes
With the addition of a possible bridge pitch like a depthy cutter, there's bound to be some usage changes. Let's start off against righties, where in 2024 he threw 41% 4-seams, 50% sliders, and 9% changeups. This mix served him well, posting a .227 AVG, .322 wOBA, .350 xwOBA, and 26.7 Whiff%. The adjustments I could see him making are to revert to a 35% 4-seam, 35% sliders, 25% depthy cutters, and roughly a 5% usage on his changeup.
Now it's time to look at his approach against lefties. In 2024 Soriano threw 45% 4-seams, 24% sliders, and 31% changeups. Sadly, he wasn't as productive against lefties, producing a .267 AVG, .423 wOBA, .442 xwOBA, and 23.6 Whiff%. I can see the addition of a cutter really helping Soriano keep hitters off his fastball and pose a threat with a pitch that moves glove side that isn't his slider. The adjustments I could see Soriano making are 30% 4-seams, 10% sliders, 25% depthy cutters, and 35% changeups. These adjustments may not be the biggest, but the incorporation of a 4th pitch, such as a depthy cutter, can really take Soriano to the next level.
Conclusion
All in all, I believe Soriano has the ability to be an effective relief pitcher for the Marlins. Currently he’s being held back by bad locations and limited swing and miss abilities, but with small adjustments like a positioning change on his 4-seam, the addition of a bridge pitch, and more consistent locations with his changeup, I believe will improve these results. Many may give up on him due to his poor showing in 24’, but I wouldn't just yet.