Jorge Soler’s road to Atlanta’s World Series MVP started in mid-July with the Royals
Multiple Royals players took to Twitter on Tuesday night, minutes after Atlanta’s Jorge Soler launched a baseball over the railroad tracks at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Soler’s three-run blast in the third inning gave Atlanta all the runs it would need to win Game 6 of the World Series and clinch the franchise’s first championship since 1995.
Atlanta ended up winning 7-0, and Soler was voted World Series Most Valuable Player.
“It means a lot to me, to my family, to the organization,” Soler said Tuesday night, “and it’s something really special.”
No one around baseball could have seen Soler’s MVP award coming in mid-July.
Soler, Major League Baseball’s home-run champion in 2019, was mired in a season-long slump that saw him batting .183 with just seven home runs on July 19. With the MLB trade deadline a mere 11 days away, Soler seemed an unlikely candidate to be dealt.
Things changed for Soler the next day when he crushed a home run in the Royals’ 5-2 win in Milwaukee. Less than 24 hours later, Soler hit another homer as the Royals finished a two-game sweep of the Brewers.
Days later, Soler had three hits included two home runs as the Royals beat the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. The next night, on July 26, Soler hit two more home runs, this time against the White Sox. That gave Soler six homers in six games.
“Before, I was looking at pitches in the zone and missing them,” Soler told reporters after his second multi-home run game. “Now I’m not missing them.”
It was around that time that Atlanta’s president of baseball operations, Alex Anthopoulos, first reached out to Dayton Moore, who was the Royals general manager at the time, to inquire about Soler.
Days later, a deal was completed, about 45 minutes before the trade deadline on July 30, and Soler was sent to Atlanta for minor-league right-handed pitcher Kasey Kalich.
“I think we’ve all enjoyed watching him in a Royals uniform here lately,” manager Mike Matheny said after Soler was traded. “Just once again showing the kind of player that he is and we wish him the best of luck.”
Over the final 11 games of the regular season, Soler heated up, bashing four home runs with 11 RBIs with Atlanta. But Soler saved his best for the last series of the season.
Soler opened the World Series with a home run while batting leadoff in Game 1 in Houston. His home run in Game 4 was the winning run in Atlanta’s 3-2 victory. And then came the mammoth blast at Houston on Tuesday that sent Atlanta on its way to clinching the title and winning him the MVP award.
“I got off to a rough start at the beginning of the season, and I felt like I started to heat up a little bit before the trade deadline,” Soler said. “I was traded over here, and it was challenging at first. I felt a little out of my comfort zone. I didn’t really know people. It was kind of tough to go to a new place and start making those acquaintances and everything.
“Within a week, I felt right at home. Everyone in that clubhouse welcomed me in, and it felt instantly, after a little while, just like a family.”
His family in Kansas City was thrilled for him.
In addition to Soler, there were many other Royals ties to Atlanta. That includes pitchers Will Smith and Jesse Chavez, outfielder Terrance Gore, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and catching coach Sal Fasano.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 9:37 AM.
