'It means a lot': Soler reaches 10 years of service time

ANAHEIM -- Angels slugger Jorge Soler hit a major career milestone on Thursday, officially reaching 10 years of service time.

It’s an amazing achievement reached by roughly seven percent of players who get to the Majors, and his teammates celebrated him with a special ceremony in the clubhouse before their game against the Pirates. Soler was presented with a bottle of Louis XIII cognac for his accomplishment.

“It means a lot to me,” Soler said through interpreter Manny Del Campo. “It's been 10 years full of sacrifices, ups and downs, and it means a lot to me. My family and I are happy to reach that goal.”

Soler, 33, defected from his native Cuba in 2011 to pursue a big league career, establishing residency in Haiti before signing a nine-year deal worth $30 million with the Cubs in ’12. He was called up in ’14 and was part of Chicago’s World Series-winning team in ’16. He was traded to the Royals before the ’17 season and set Kansas City’s club record with 48 homers in ’19.

He was traded to the Braves at the 2021 Trade Deadline and helped Atlanta win the World Series that year, earning MVP honors in the Fall Classic. He played with the Marlins in ’22 and ’23, getting named an All-Star for the first time in ’23 before splitting last season with the Giants and Braves. The Angels acquired him this offseason from Atlanta in a trade for right-hander Griffin Canning.

Catcher Travis d’Arnaud was Soler’s teammate with the Braves in ’21 and again last year and said it’s a huge honor for Soler. d’Arnaud reached that same milestone in August 2023.

“What an accomplishment,” d’Arnaud said. “It’s something that I think is becoming more and more rare with the average big league time of a player going down. I was trying to joke with him yesterday, like, ‘Have a good night, it’s the last time you'll have a nine in front of your service time.’ But it's something every player strives for, to get to 10 years.”

In his 12-year career, Soler is a .243/.331/.464 hitter with 195 homers and 525 RBIs in 1,035 games, entering Thursday. He’s had his share of ups and downs, but d’Arnaud said that’s what makes it so special.

“It just shows your commitment to this game,” d’Arnaud said. “You're gonna fail so much and as long as you're willing to put the work in and keep going day by day in the blink of an eye, you’ll be at 10 years. And Jorge is a testament to that. He didn’t have the perfect start to his 10-year journey, but he kept going and stayed strong, and then came back with the Royals and hit 48 homers, and struggled to start that year, then went over to the Braves and was World Series MVP. He continued to just be successful with being himself and not trying to do too much and just kept grinding every day.”

Angels manager Ron Washington was Atlanta’s third-base coach in ’21 when Soler was on the club and said he was proud to see Soler reach this mark. With 10 years of service time, a player’s pension fully vests, giving them long-term security after their playing days are over.

“It's an outstanding milestone,” Washington said. “You don't usually get to hang around baseball that long in this generation. That's quite an outstanding feat.”

Soler called Washington a mentor and said he views him as family. Soler, who remains under contract through next season for $16 million, said his longevity is due to his work ethic.

“I've been working very hard,” Soler said. “Thanks to God for keeping me healthy and being able to produce on the field.”

Soler's numbers this year are similar to his career numbers, as he's batted .262/.319/.464 with four homers and nine RBIs in 23 games. But with the club’s offense scuffling, he was moved to the leadoff spot on Wednesday and was there again on Thursday. He fared well in 41 games as a leadoff hitter last year, batting .276/.386/.513 with seven homers and 24 RBIs.

“Just wanted to try Jorge in a different spot,” Washington said. “Maybe it'll awaken him. We’ve got to do whatever we can to get him awake. He did spend a lot of time hitting in the No. 1 spot last year, and maybe he'll feel more comfortable there. So it's just a tweak.”