Gregory Soto

BIOGRAPHY

Gregory Soto was born February 11, 1995, in Haina, Dominican Republic. He is a pitcher in the MLB.

Soto signed with the Detroit Tigers as an international free agent in December 2012. He made his professional debut in 2013 with the Dominican Summer League Tigers, pitching to a 1-2 record and 4.82 ERA in 16 games (12 starts), and returned there in 2014 where he improved, going 5–3 with a 3.20 ERA in 16 games (ten starts). He spent 2015 with the Gulf Coast Tigers and Connecticut Tigers, posting a combined 2–5 record and 3.23 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 39 total innings between the two teams, and 2016 with Connecticut where he was 3–2 with a 3.03 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 15 starts.

Soto started 2017 with the West Michigan Whitecaps and was promoted to the Lakeland Flying Tigers during the season. After going 12–2 with a 2.25 ERA and 144 strikeouts between the two teams, he was named the Tigers minor league pitcher of the year.

The Tigers added him to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season.

Soto made his major league debut on May 11, 2019, against the Minnesota Twins, starting the second game of a doubleheader as the 26th man. Soto made the Tigers roster out of 2020 summer camp. On August 29, 2020, he earned his first career save against the Minnesota Twins.

In the 2022 season, Soto has continued his role as the primary closer for the Tigers. On July 10, Soto was selected to represent the Tigers at the 2022 All-Star game, his second consecutive All-Star selection. At the time of the selection, Soto had 17 saves in 19 opportunities, with a 2.67 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 30+1⁄3 innings. In the All-Star game, Soto came to the mound with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. After walking Ian Happ, Soto coaxed a ground ball from 2022 Home Run Derby champ Juan Soto for an inning-ending force out.

Soto signed a one-year deal with the Phillies for 2024.