‘You just kind of expect it’: Miami Marlins marvel at Jorge Soler’s home run surge

At this point, Skip Schumaker feels like he has run out of ways to describe what Jorge Soler is doing at the plate.

Soler tapped into his home run power throughout the Miami Marlins’ road trip, hitting six in a span of seven games in addition to hitting .326 (14 for 43) with a 1.150 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 11 RBI and nine runs scored over the course of the 10-game set across three cities.

“You just kind of expect it, which is insane,” Schumaker said. “Think about that, you’re just expecting a home run. Because those are hard. It’s hard to hit, and he’s just hitting home runs. So we’ll ride the highs as much as we can. The good thing is, he’s hitting them and we’re winning those games.”

It’s the type of power the Marlins were hoping they would get from Soler when they signed him ahead of the 2022 season to a $12 million deal with player options for 2023 ($15 million) and 2024 ($9 million). He had hit 75 total home runs over the previous two full seasons, including 48 in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals.

But Soler struggled with injuries in 2022. He only played in 72 games and hit .207 but his 13 home runs had him on a 30-homer pace over the course of a full season.

Now, he’s hitting a groove in his second season with the Marlins.

Just how dominant has Soler been with the long ball? Here’s the simplified version:

▪ He hit a home run in five straight games from Tuesday to Saturday, which tied for the longest streak in MLB this season (the Cubs’ Christopher Morel and Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado also had five-game home run streaks) and is the second-longest stretch in Marlins history (Giancarlo Stanton had six in 2017).

▪ He has 12 home runs in May, tied for the most in franchise history with Stanton in 2012 and Dan Uggla in 2008, with two more games to play this month.

▪ His 17 home runs are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Muncy for second in MLB behind only the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, who has 20. Soler got to 17 home runs in 51 games, the fastest by any Marlins player. The previous record was 16 home runs done three times (Uggla in 2008, Mike Lowell in 2003 and Gary Sheffield in 1996).

▪ He has an MLB-best nine home runs (to go along with an MLB-best 1.000 slugging and 1.453 on-base-plus-slugging) against left-handed pitching.

▪ Twelve of Soler’s 17 home runs have either tied a game or given the Marlins the lead. His nine go-ahead home runs lead MLB.

“It’s like Barry Bonds right now,” Marlins first baseman Garrett Cooper said. “If I was a betting man, I’d be putting a lot of bets on the guy hitting a homer a game. It’s special to watch. Just seeing him in the past when he played with Kansas City in ‘19 when he had huge home run year. I think he hit a few against us late in the year. That homer power has always been there. People got a little bit down on him after last year with the injury and not seeing the full potential that he has. This guy’s special. There’s thunder. Some of the best in the league, and he’s shown why he’s one of the best power hitters in the league.”

And the power isn’t exclusive to home runs. Soler is tied for second in MLB with 27 total extra-base hits and is one of just two players with at least 15 home runs and 10 doubles.

“He’s been known as a power hitter his whole career,” Schumaker said, “and I think he’s becoming a real hitter, a complete hitter. I think that’s the main thing. He’s always gonna have power. He’s a big strong guy, but I think his game planning and preparation has just gotten to that next level and whether it’s a lefty or righty, he’s just becoming a more complete hitter.”