Signed, Healed, Ready to Deliver

It’s been a tough couple of years for Calgary’s Mike Soroka.

The Atlanta Braves ace has torn his Achilles tendon twice, requiring three surgeries, all while navigating the restrictions around COVID-19.

He got back onto the field in 2022, albeit briefly, and believes he’s finally in line for a “normal” off-season heading into the new year.

Alberta’s 2022 Pro Connections

The 2022 baseball season is officially underway.

Scouring the rosters of all Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball teams, there is certainly no shortage of connections to Alberta on the field.

We’ve compiled a list of players who were born here, trained here or played here with the Western Canadian Baseball League.

EDITORIAL: Five Years Later

It all started at the tables of Calgary pubs as conversations about baseball’s days of yore in Alberta.

The Expos, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Trappers and Cannons featuring names like Dawson, Sax, Moseby, Valenzuela and Edgar.

Here we are, five years later since the start of Alberta Dugout Stories. We’re here to say thank YOU for your tremendous support.

Alberta Ties to the Top 100

We examine the Alberta connections to Bob Elliott’s Top 100 influential Canadians in baseball list that was published by the Canadian Baseball Network.

Five Storylines We’re Watching in 2022

It will come as no surprise that the developments around COVID-19 will continue to dominate the sports headlines in the months ahead.

But assuming we can have a normal(ish) summer, what other storylines should we be watching?

We take out our crystal ball to look at the five stories that we expect will have local, provincial and national implications.

Soaking It All In

We take a look at the World Series celebrations of Albertans Mike Frostad and Mike Soroka.

Both men helped the Atlanta Braves achieve baseball’s ultimate goal.

What to Expect From Soroka in 2021

Perhaps the most telling predictor of Mike Soroka’s 2021 season cannot be found in glossy magazines, websites devoted to the Atlanta Braves, or online fantasy baseball tools.

Maybe baseball watchers should look to Frederic Horowitz, Margaret Brogan and Robert Herzog for answers.

The Night Before

To celebrate the season, we present to you a baseball-themed rendition of “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.”

Close But No Soroka

Watching Calgary’s Mike Soroka succeed at the Major League Baseball level is somewhat bittersweet for Greg Morrison.

The Medicine Hat Mavericks owner and general manager might find himself asking “what if” when he thinks back on the summer of 2015.

Morrison had managed to convince Soroka to play for the Mavericks that summer, but it wasn’t meant to be as he was drafted in the first round of that summer’s MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Opening It Up

The last time we saw Calgarian Mike Soroka take the mound for the Atlanta Braves, he was breaking new ground.

It was Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the St. Louis Cardinals – an exciting 3-1 victory for Atlanta – and Soroka struck out seven batters through seven innings while surrendering no walks, just two hits and one earned run.

It’s been a long time since that game at Busch Stadium on Oct. 6, 2019, and it feels even longer with the COVID-19 pandemic that has cancelled and postponed baseball games at all levels this year.