Faces on the Field: Alay Soler
Soler, 26, is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA through five starts for St. Lucie, raising some questions as to when the Mets will promote him out of a league in which he has clearly experienced few problems. Those questions should be answered shortly, according to some team insiders, especially after Soler put forth another dominating effort Monday night.
The right-hander allowed only one hit over seven scoreless innings in St. Lucie's victory over Brevard County. It was his longest outing of the season. He struck out seven, didn't walk a batter and lowered the opposition's batting average against him to .128 (12-for-94) in 28 innings. With numbers like that, it would appear the club is on the verge of moving him up to Double-A Binghamton, where he would be reunited with Mike Pelfrey, the club's top pick in last season's draft.
Pelfrey was dominant in the Florida State League and, as a result, was promoted last week. Soler is hoping the equally dominant effort he's put forth will force New York's decision-makers to take the same approach with him. Based on the trickle-down effect that Brian Bannister's injury (hamstring) has caused in New York, it wouldn't be a shock for Soler to get a call sometime in the next week or so.
"The Florida State League has been a little easier than the league in which I pitched in Cuba," said Soler, who signed in 2004 but spent a year working out in the Caribbean before he and the Mets were able to clear up his visa issues last fall. "The league is full of younger guys and with my experience I can get outs better than others. Baseball is baseball, though. I'm ready to pitch anywhere. Wherever the team wants me to pitch, I'll pitch."
Soler's performance to date shouldn't come as a surprise considering the microscope under which he pitched while playing for Fidel Castro in Cuba. He helped his country win the World University Games in 2002 and had a strong Winter Ball season this year. Yet, when he arrived in Spring Training back in February, his effort was a bit underwhelming, leaving some to wonder what all the fuss was about and why the Mets committed $2.8 million to Soler over three years.
He appeared in two official games, allowing eight earned runs on three homers in 3 1/3 innings before turning it around once the regular season began.
"For me, when I got here, the way they trained was something totally new to me," said Soler, who indicated that he'd like to remain in the starting rotation. "I didn't know what to prepare for. It was a little bit of an adjustment getting ready for this season. Everything was so fast here, the way they trained.
"I wasn't nervous. I came in with a goal of having a good year, not just a good Spring Training. I was working toward everything. I wasn't 100 percent ready to start the season. I lost a lot of weight getting in shape. Once I got here and got my wind, I knew everything would be fine."
Still, there are those who are skeptical as to just how far Soler will be able to go with his low 90s fastball and a slider that hovers in the mid-80s. Dominating the youngsters in the Florida State League is one thing. Whether he'll be able to duplicate those numbers in Binghamton or Triple-A Norfolk will provide clearer answers.
"I can see where he would put up these kinds of numbers throwing the breaking ball he has and being able to get young guys out," one American League executive who saw Soler pitch recently said. "For a guy who has been around as long as he has, he'd better get those guys out, though. I just didn't see anything for him in terms of a role in the big leagues.
"Maybe he's a middle reliever. But for what they invested in him, you would think they would have gotten more. Right now, I think you can find a guy like him in Triple-A or Double-A anywhere."
Soler doesn't think so. And the Mets certainly hope that's not the case. It's been a curious run for Soler since he signed with New York. And the ride is nowhere near its end.
Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com.