José Soriano’s unreal rise: From surgeries to MLB’s most dominant arm

The 2026 MLB season has been dominated by names like Paul Skenes, Shohei Ohtani, and Mason Miller, the kind of stars that naturally command headlines across Major League Baseball. That makes sense of course. Attention follows established brilliance.

But beneath those names, in the shadows of what many see as a team in transition, a little-known arm is delivering a level of dominance that borders on statistical absurdity.

Not a breakout - A resurrection

José Soriano is not emerging...he’s returning. To understand this 27-year-old Dominican right-hander, you have to look at the scars across his elbow. A decade in MLB, two Tommy John surgeries, and a career that, until recently, suggested little more than survival.

Now, Soriano is an anomaly. After shutting down the Toronto Blue Jays, his ERA sits at a microscopic 0.24 through 37⅔ innings. Since 1900, no traditional starter had allowed one run or fewer across his first six outings of a season. Not Hall of Famers. Not modern legends. Only Soriano, the pitcher no one saw coming.

The transformation

Success often requires subtraction. For years, Soriano leaned heavily on his sinker, a hypnotic pitch that generated ground balls with metronomic consistency. But repetition made it predictable.

Then came pitching guru Mike Maddux with what sounded like heresy: use it less. Soriano cut his sinker usage to 30% and leaned into a blazing four-seam fastball that sits at 98 mph and has touched 101.

That resulted in chaos at the plate. When hitters have to respect both a rising fastball and a diving sinker, they stop trying to hit—and start trying to survive. The numbers reflect the change: a 5–0 record and opponents going 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Built through pain

This wasn’t a smooth ascent for Soriano. Signed at 17 in the Dominican Republic, he was always a raw talent with electric stuff but inconsistent command.

Then came the setbacks. A first surgery in 2020. A brief stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates via the Rule 5 Draft. Another injury shortly after. Between 2020 and 2022, he threw just 16⅔ innings. In baseball, that kind of absence usually means disappearance.

But the Los Angeles Angels waited. And pushed.

“If you’re not among the top Cy Young candidates every year, you’re not doing yourself any favors,” said pitching coach Barry Enright last season, a challenge aimed at a pitcher stuck in mediocrity.

Soriano listened. He’s no longer a filler arm or emergency reliever. He’s the pitcher stranding 100% of inherited runners and allowing just one home run all month.

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