Baseball in Fort Wayne

The Kansas City Royals recent release of former top prospect, Runelvys Hernandez, may open a rotation spot for RHP Joakim Soria, whom the team selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Soria’s pitching experience is mostly in the Mexican Summer League with the exception of last summer at the Castle in Fort Wayne as a member of the Fort Wayne Wizards.

Pitching for Yaquis de Obregon, Soria is leading the league in several important categories: He’s 8-0 with a 2.02 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings. He’s given up 46 hits and issued 19 walks, and batters are hitting just .204 against him.

“I think he’s going to fit in well with some of the young arms we have coming into the organization,” (General Manager Dayton) Moore said. “I think he’s got a chance, a year from now, to be mentioned in the same vein with some of our younger prospects. [source: MLB.com]

Soria was originally signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in 2001 and was released in 2004.

While in the Mexican League in 2005, Soria went 5-0 with a 4.48 ERA in 30 appearances. The 2006 season was spent with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico of the Mexican League where he tallied 15 saves and an earned run average of 3.89 over 39 appearances. In 37 innings, Soria surrendered 37 hits, 11 walks and struck out 30.

He joined the team in mid-August after being signed as a free agent by the Padres. While in Fort Wayne, Soria pitched 11.2 innings, garnering a 2.31 ERA in seven games. He allowed five hits and three runs while striking out 11.