Jorge Soler

For the gymnast, see Jorge Soler (gymnast).
Jorge Soler

Soler in 2013 with the Chicago Cubs during spring training
Chicago Cubs – No. 68
Right fielder
Born: February 25, 1992
Havana, Cuba
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 27, 2014 for the Chicago Cubs
Career statistics
(through April 21, 2015)
Batting average .306
Home runs 7
Runs batted in 29
Slugging Percentage .556
On Base Percentage .344
Teams
Jorge Soler
Medal record
Men's baseball
Competitor for  Cuba
18U Baseball World Cup
Bronze 2010 Thunder Bay Team

Jorge Carlos Soler Castillo (born February 25, 1992) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). Soler played for the Cuban national baseball team in international competition. He defected from Cuba in 2011, seeking a career in MLB. After establishing his residency in Haiti, Soler signed a nine-year contract with the Cubs. He made his MLB debut in 2014.

Cuban career and defection

Soler played for the Cuban national baseball team in the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship, where he had a .304 batting average, .500 on-base percentage, and .522 slugging percentage. His nine walks were the second most in the tournament.[1] Cuba won the bronze medal. Soler also played briefly in the Cuban National Series.

Soler defected from Cuba in 2011 to pursue his career in Major League Baseball (MLB). He established residency in Haiti.[2] Soler was unblocked by the Office of Foreign Assets Control on June 2, 2012, making him a MLB free agent. As a free agent, many teams were involved in bidding on Soler's services.[3] On June 11, 2012, Soler reportedly agreed to a nine-year $30 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.[4] The Cubs had reportedly agreed to a deal with Soler before he was declared a free agent, though Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer denied this.[5]

Scouting profile

Soler running the bases during spring training with the Chicago Cubs in 2013

Soler is 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and weighs 215 pounds (98 kg). He was described as a power-hitting outfielder who would likely play right field. Jim Callis of Baseball America described Soler in 2011 as "a 19-year-old athlete with five-tool potential."[6] According to Callis, Soler likely would have been a top-five pick in the 2010 draft had he been eligible. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus did not rank Soler in his list of the top baseball prospects prior to the 2012 season, but said he would have ranked Soler as the 38th or 39th best prospect if he were eligible.[7] Some teams preferred Soler to higher profile Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes.[8] Keith Law of ESPN.com indicated that Soler had the talent of a top-five draft choice in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft, had he been eligible to be drafted.[9] Writing for Fox News, Mauricio Rubio wrote that "Early in his career he was benched for not hustling, and in a separate incident he ran toward an opposing dugout with a bat."[10] Writing for the Sporting News, Jeff Mans noted that: "The biggest issue with Soler aside from the hamstring injuries is his temper.... He started out on the wrong foot with the Cubs after failing to report to minor league camp shortly after signing his nine-year, $30 million deal, feeling that he should have been in Chicago immediately. The other scare for the Cubs brass was his relative inability to hit righthanded pitching."[11]

Minor League Baseball

On April 10, 2013, while playing on the Daytona Cubs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, immediately following a bench-clearing incident, Soler charged the opposing Clearwater Threshers' dugout while brandishing a baseball bat.[12][13] He was ejected, and was suspended five games and fined an undisclosed amount.[13]

Soler began the 2014 season with the Tennessee Smokies of the Class AA Southern League. On July 22, 2014, Soler was promoted to the Iowa Cubs of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.[14]

Major League Baseball

On August 25, 2014, Soler was called up to the Chicago Cubs for the first time. In his major league debut on August 27, facing Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos, Soler hit a home run in his first major league at-bat,[15] becoming the 117th player in MLB history to do so.[16] On September 1 Soler had two doubles in his home debut for the Cubs to become just the third major league player in the last 100 years to have at least one extra-base hit in each of his first five games in the majors.[17] Two days later Soler became the second player in Cubs history with as many as 10 RBIs in his first seven games as a major leaguer.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ John Arguello (January 30, 2012). "Cubs are heavily scouting Cuban players | Cubs Den". Chicagonow.com. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Chicago Cubs sign Cuban prospect Jorge Soler". Content.usatoday.com. November 28, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Cubs agree to deal with Cuban prospect Jorge Soler | cubs.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Report: Cubs get Cuban outfield prospect Jorge Soler – Chicago Sun-Times". Suntimes.com. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Blog | Baseball America Prospects Blog | Cubs Sign Jorge Soler". Baseball America. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  6. ↑ Callis, Jim (December 12, 2011). "Prospects: Ask BA". BaseballAmerica.com. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  7. ↑ Goldstein, Kevin (February 13, 2012). "Future Shock: Top 101 Prospects". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  8. ↑ Cafardo, Nick (January 4, 2012). "Sox may prefer Soler to Cespedes – Extra Bases – Red Sox blog". Boston.com. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Jorge Soler has the talent of a top-five pick in the MLB draft – ESPN". Insider.espn.go.com. Retrieved June 12, 2012. (subscription required)
  10. ↑ Fox Sports. "The Jorge Soler scouting report". FOX Sports.
  11. ↑ "FantasyAlarm.com Prospect Report: Jorge Soler, Cubs". Sporting News.
  12. ↑ "MiLB Ejection: Sean Ryan (of Bat-Wielding Cub Jorge Soler)." Close Call Sports/Umpire Ejection Fantasy League. April 10, 2013.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Chicago Cubs prospect Jorge Soler tossed after bat-wielding incident". ESPN.com.
  14. ↑ "Cubs promoting Jorge Soler and Albert Almora". CSN Chicago.
  15. ↑ Muskat, Carrie (August 28, 2014). "First homer, no waiting: Soler arrives with a bang". MLB. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Jorge Soler and other baseball players who homered in the first at AB". lineup.forms.com. Line Up Forms. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  17. ↑ Jackson, John. "Castillo and Valbuena hit HRs, rookie Soler has 2 doubles to lead Cubs in 4–2 win". timescolonist.com. Associated Press. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Soler drives in two more runs as Cubs beat Brewers". usatoday.com. Associated Press. Retrieved September 4, 2014.

External links