Gregory Soto, the Detroit Tigers' No. 14 prospect, was named the AFL Pitcher of the Week after pitching 9 2/3 innings with a 2.79 ERA in his two starts last week.
Soto struck out 11 in the two outings and is now tied for fourth in the Arizona Fall League in strike outs. He is also second in total innings pitched with 16 and is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in his four starts.
2018 Arizona Fall League rosters
"I was working ahead in the count," Soto said through a translator. "I was attacking the zone, I was getting ahead with every single hitter."
In Soto's first outing last week, he threw five innings of two-hit, no-run baseball, but his control was not as great in his second outing. That's a trent Soto has dealt with in the past.
"I was struggling with command," Soto said of Saturday's outing. "But, I was able to execute the pitches whenever I had to, just to get the job done."
The hard-throwing 23-year-old is the highest-rated left-handed pitching prospect in the Tigers' organization.
Soto had a breakout season in 2017, posting a 2.25 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 23 starts. However, he took a step back in 2018, finishing the year with a 4.45 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 23 starts.
"I didn't have the confidence that I had last year," Soto said. "Especially with the fastball and slider, I was throwing with no fear at all [in 2017], but this year, this past summer, I don't want to say afraid, but I didn't have the confidence."
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That confidence is something Soto is regaining in Arizona.
"Hopefully I will translate that into Spring training 2019," he said.
Not only is Soto is using the Fall League to rebuild his confidence, but also to work on some of his secondary pitches.
"I'm working a lot with my secondary stuff, especially with the slider," Soto said. "Last year the slider was pretty sharp, and this year it was a little bit rounded and I didn't get the effectiveness."