The Rome Braves won the South Atlantic League championship last season. Much like the Atlanta teams of old, the starting rotation was front and center in their success. Perhaps no single pitcher did more to solidify that rotation than right-hander Mike Soroka, who was the steady presence on a young but capable starting staff. I caught up with Soroka to discuss the experience of his first professional season, the next steps in his development and being part of one of the top farm systems in all of baseball. You can read all about Mike Soroka and the rest of the Rome rotation in my Braves’ Top 30 Prospects.

Grant McAuley: This Rome Braves team really turned it on and had a lot of success in the second half last season. What was it like in your first full year of pro ball to be part of that surge that culminated in a championship?

Mike Soroka: “Yeah, we really got rolling. I think mid-season, [Patrick] Weigel and I got to talking when we were at about the 80-game mark and we kind of just said, ‘Oh, we’ve got at least two, hopefully two and half months left and it’s been a long season so far.’ Then we started pulling it together, not just the pitching but the hitting too, everything just seemed to happen for us. It made it go way quicker. The longest part of the season was the first half and then the second half was a blur. The playoffs too. It was beyond crazy and it was pretty cool to have that momentum. It really made showing up everyday that much more fun.”

GM: Kolby Allard mentioned it was the winning atmosphere that made it fun to come to the yard. For you guys in a rotation that had a lot of talent, how nice was it to go out and have that competition every fifth day to reach that bar, raise it for the next guy and help the team out in the process?

MS: “You step out there every day and whether you’re charting or watching from the dugout, there’s a guy on the mound every day and it’s almost this atmosphere and this attitude that you know you’re going to win. Not that we walk in just thinking we’re going to win, but we expected to win. It was pretty special seeing each guy out there. There was definitely a heavier presence of scouts in the stands every single night. That was pretty cool too.”

GM: From a development point from your first full year, what do you take out of the experience?

MS: “It was mostly learning what I can do every day and learning how I can work with my arsenal differently every start, because you’re not always going to have your best stuff. I think I had a couple of those outings this year, and those are the really good ones. For the most part, you might have two or maybe three pitches most days and you have to figure out what you’re trying to use those with and who is looking for what. That’s what I really learned this year. We started to see some teams like Columbia or Augusta and we’d seen them so many times that I knew their lineup through and through and they knew me through and through. They’ve seen all my pitches numerous times, so it’s all about who’s going to do something new and who’s going execute better in order to get them out.”

GM: Going into 2017, I know it’s not about statistical achievements and more about going to the post every fifth day and hopefully doing the best you can. Is there anything in particular about this season that you are looking forward to and hoping to accomplish?

MS: “I think this year what I’m working towards is more off-speed consistency. With the exception of one or two nights, my fastballs were there every night. I knew where they were going, that wasn’t usually a problem. I had confidence with those two [pitches] any day. I think this year it’s more about being able to throw my changeup for a strike whenever I want. Having that is going to be huge, as well as my curveball. I’ve started to get to the point where I’m throwing them on both sides of the plate and not just for a strike or a ball. That really creates two more pitches. It’s said that you can throw a fastball in four different quadrants and it’s basically four different pitches because they look different. It’s the same thing with your off-speed. It’s really just expanding your repertoire. For me, I think if I can do that this year then the sky’s the limit.”

GM: You guys have a very talented group that heads to the Florida State League this year. That will be a new challenge for you, but there’s another group of prospects rolling into Rome this year as the organization keeps reloading this farm system. How special is it to be part of something that’s attracting attention across the industry when it comes to the great young talent the Atlanta Braves have?

MS: “It’s pretty cool. You get on Twitter every day and there’s something new going on with someone else [and prospect news]. Those guys are coming up to Rome next year and every single one of them is a competitor and they’re pretty special as well. I think it’s going to be another good year for Rome. They also know they have standards to live up to as well. They know people are going to be watching, especially after what we did last year. Same goes for us. People are going to be watching us next year in Florida, hopefully. It’s going to be a special team again, so we’ll try to keep it going as long as we can.”

GM: Well, it won’t be long until you’ll be going to the ballpark every day. I’m sure you’re looking forward to the sun down in Florida and getting back to work.

MS: “It’s been a quick off-season. This one went by a lot quicker than last one. Hopefully, spring training moves pretty quickly, we break [camp] and step with the right foot forward this time, don’t lag in the first half and we get it going early.”

My prospect profile for Mike Soroka (No. 8 in my Top 30 Braves Prospects):

Mike Soroka | RHP | Age: 19 | Acquired: 1st Round (28th), 2015 | ETA: 2019 There may be other Atlanta pitching prospects that spring to mind more quickly than Mike Soroka, but that could change quickly thanks to the resume he has built in a short amount of time in the system. Part of the vaunted Rome Braves rotation that helped capture a South Atlantic League title, Soroka was a model of efficiency and consistency in 2016. The one takeaway for every talent evaluator I’ve spoken to is that Soroka pitches beyond his years. The Braves jumped at the opportunity to nab him out of Bishop Carroll High School in Calgary, AB, where he also pitched for the Canadian Junior National Team. Atlanta signed him for just under $2 million and limited him to just 34 innings as a 17-year-old in his 2015 debut. Armed with three excellent offerings and exceptional control, Soroka knows how to mix his pitches for maximum results. His sinking fastball sits in the low-90s and lives in the bottom half of the strike zone. Soroka compliments that with a curveball and changeup which both serve to confound opposing hitters. Like many of Atlanta’s recent draft selections and top prospects on this list, Soroka was one of the younger players in his league last season. That did not stop him from putting up strong numbers, however. Though just 9-9, his 3.02 ERA ranked eighth in the South Atlantic League and he allowed just three home runs in 143 IP. That strikingly low total is a testament to Soroka’s ability to keep the ball down in the zone and generate ground balls. He anchored the Rome rotation all season and in the playoffs as well, allowing just one earned run in 14.2 IP. All of this was accomplished by a pitcher who did not turn 19 until the final month of the season. It’s easy to see why Soroka has many fans throughout the organization. He displays a calm demeanor and extreme presence on the mound, traits that should serve him well as he moves to High-A with the Fire Frogs in 2017.

Grant McAuley covers the Braves and MLB for 92-9 The Game. You can subscribe to the “Around The Big Leagues” podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher. Follow Grant on Twitter.