There was no way Elliot Soto’s call to the major leagues was going to be conventional.
The 31-year-old Soto, a Dundee-Crown graduate, played in the minor leagues for 10 years before he finally got the call on Sept. 25 from the Los Angeles Angels.
Only he didn’t initially get a call from the organization. A minor league teammate actually leaked the news a night early.
“It was just like my career man, just waiting,” Soto said. “I just thought it was funny that the way my career has gone it couldn’t be a smooth phone call. It’s a cool story that way.”
When shortstop Andrelton Simmons decided to opt out of the final week of the season, the Angels needed Soto, a utility infielder who had been on the team’s taxi squad, to finish things out.
Soto held off telling his friends and family until he received formal notification. After batting practice on Sept. 25, Soto donned a No. 7 jersey.
He had officially made it.
“I always felt like the players and coaches made me feel like a part of the team,” Soto said of being on the taxi squad. “But once I put on the jersey, it was like, ‘OK, now it feels real.'”
Once the minor league season was canceled, Soto was named to the Angels’ taxi squad. He made road trips with the team and spent the rest of the season at their alternate training site in Long Beach.
“We would play scrimmages, depending on our pitching situation there,” Soto said. “I’d hit off the machine to see some velocity.
“I would work hard with (infield coach Brian) Butterfield. He wanted to make sure I was ready to get in a game, so he worked me hard after batting practice.”
Soto debuted as a defensive replacement on Sept. 25. That night, he got a text with the following day’s lineup. There he was, batting ninth and playing shortstop.
As Soto stood on deck for his first career plate appearance at Dodger Stadium, Jahmai Jones ripped a single to center off Tony Gonsolin in his MLB debut.
“I was super pumped because I spent a lot of time with that guy,” Soto said of Jones. “Now it was my turn.”
The Angels called for a drag bunt for the first pitch, which Soto took for a strike. He looked down to Butterfield in the third base coaching box.
The play was called off, so Soto was free to swing away.
And he singled.
“I didn’t try to do too much with it, went with the pitch,” Soto said. “Once I got to first, it was a huge relief. I’m in the big leagues. I got a hit. Here we go. That’s in the book. I can relax and play my game.”
Soto played 867 games for nine teams in the minors. Doubts crept in at times, especially since he married his wife, Katie, in January. They share daughter Quinn, who turned 2 years old in August.
“It was really tough being away from her,” Soto said. “You start thinking about what’s more important in life. I thought about that a lot.
“I never wanted to give up. I wanted to make it. I felt like it would be all for nothing if I didn’t make it.”
The hard work paid off, however. Just as his close friend and fellow Dundee-Crown graduate Ryan Court did in 2019, they persevered, beat the odds and made it to the majors at age 31.
“We both had such long roads,” Soto said. “That’s baseball. You never know when it’s going to happen.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
