From Cuba to Cooperstown: World Series MVP Jorge Soler completes incredible journey

On his way to becoming World Series MVP while helping the Atlanta Braves win their first championship since 1995, Jorge Soler made it look very easy.

But the journey toward baseball's pinnacle has been quite challenging for the 29-year-old native of Havana, Cuba. It's a quest that he finally completed 10 years after defecting to the United States.

In 2010, Soler hit .304 to help Cuba win the bronze medal in the World Junior Baseball Championship. That success gave him the confidence to pursue a career in Major League Baseball. So the outfielder/designated hitter made the difficult decision to defect the following year.

“We attempted it multiple times, but … we were always stopped a little before,” Soler told the Kansas City Star. “For a lot of people, it depends (on) how many times (one attempts to leave). And it also just depends on the luck one has. Everyone has different stories, and there are some players who have gone through a lot more.”

Upon establishing residency in Haiti, Soler agreed to a nine-year, $30 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. Soler made his major-league debut with the Cubs in 2014. And over parts of three seasons with Chicago, he hit .258 with 27 home runs and 98 RBI, but he struck out 211 times in 211 games, which prompted the Cubs to trade him after the 2016 season to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Wade Davis.

That trade -- which was somewhat surprising considering the fact that the Cubs had just beaten the Cleveland Indians to win their first world championship since 1908 -- initially failed to jump-start Soler's career. Injuries limited him to just 96 games over the 2017 and 2018 seasons, but Soler would bounce back in a big way the following year.

Playing in all 162 games in 2019, Soler hit .265 with 48 home runs and 117 RBI for the Royals, who finished 59-103 -- 42 games out of first place in the American League Central Division. Nevertheless, Soler's 48 blasts set a single-season Royals record and surpassed Rafael Palmeiro for the most by a Cuban-born major-league player.

But after enjoying the greatest personal campaign of his career, Soler started to struggle again. He batted .228 with eight home runs and 24 RBI in 43 games of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He started this season even more slowly, batting .192 in 308 at-bats before the Royals traded him to the Braves for minor-league pitcher Kasey Kalich on July 30.

“It was challenging at first. I felt a little out of my comfort zone. I didn’t really know people,” Soler told the Associated Press. “It was kind of tough to go to a new place and start making those acquaintances and everything. Within a week, I felt right at home. Everyone in that clubhouse welcomed me in, and it felt instantly, after a little while, just like a family.”

That family feeling helped Soler rejuvenate his career as he hit .269 with 14 home runs and 33 RBI in 55 games to help the Braves win the National League East. But once again, Soler had to face another challenge.

A positive COVID-19 test landed Soler on the injured list for 10 days, which forced him to miss five games during the National League playoffs. But he made an instant impact in the World Series, hitting a leadoff home run in Game 1 off Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez to become the first player to hit a home run in his first plate appearance of the Fall Classic. 

Soler didn't stop there. He would go on to hit .300 with three home runs, six RBI and six runs scored against the Astros to win World Series MVP honors, becoming only the second Cuban-born player to do so, following Marlins pitcher Livan Hernandez, who achieved the feat in 1997.

In Game 6 Tuesday night, Soler launched a 446-foot, three-run home run in the third inning to give the Braves the lead, and Atlanta rode that blast to a 7-0 World Series-clinching victory.

Soler's journey has taken him from Cuba to Cooperstown, New York, as his batting helmet is now headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“This means a lot to me,” Soler told the New York Times in Spanish as he stood on the infield with a Cuban flag draped over his shoulders while holding his daughter. “This is the biggest thing that’s happened to me in my career, especially from where I come from, Cuba. It’s harder to reach here and reach the big leagues and have these results. It’s incredible.”