Mario Soto, baseball player, 1977-1988

Mario Soto

Born: 7/12/1956 in Bani, Peravia, D.R.

MLB Debut: 1977-07-21 | Final Game: 1988-06-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 174 lbs

Full name: Mario Melvin Soto

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Biography

Mario Soto was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1977 until 1988. Born in 1956, Soto made a significant impact during his career, which was marked by his impressive strikeout ability and competitive spirit on the mound. Over the course of his career, he recorded a win-loss record of 100-92 and maintained a solid earned run average (ERA) of 3.47. His strikeout total reached 1,449, showcasing his capability to dominate hitters and contribute to his team's success. Soto also achieved four saves, indicating his versatility as a pitcher. Soto was selected as an All-Star three times, a testament to his skill and recognition among peers during his playing days. He pitched primarily for the Cincinnati Reds, a team that was a key player in the National League during the late 1970s and 1980s. His contributions to the Reds helped solidify his legacy in the franchise's history. Soto's career unfolded in an era characterized by a transition in pitching styles and strategies, and he remained a respected figure in the game until his retirement in 1988.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
100 92 297 224 72 13 4 1730.3 1395 667 172 657 1449 3.47 0

Career ERA 3.47 vs. league average 3.89 across their career seasons — 10.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1977 CIN NL 2 6 12 10 2 1 0 60.7 60 36 26 44 5.34 4.00 (-34%) -1987.8
1978 CIN NL 1 0 5 1 0 0 0 18.0 13 5 13 13 2.50 3.69 (+32%) -154.6
1979 CIN NL 3 2 25 0 0 0 0 37.3 33 22 30 32 5.30 4.00 (-32%) -191.3
1980 CIN NL 10 8 53 12 3 1 4 190.3 126 65 84 182 3.07 3.84 (+20%) 4425.8
1981 CIN NL 12 9 25 25 10 3 0 175.0 142 64 61 151 3.29 3.58 (+8%) 2928.6
1982 CIN NL 14 13 35 34 13 2 0 257.7 202 80 71 274 2.79 3.86 (+28%) 9776.7
1983 CIN NL 17 13 34 34 18 3 0 273.7 207 82 95 242 2.70 3.87 (+30%) 3321.4
1984 CIN NL 18 7 33 33 13 0 0 237.3 181 93 87 185 3.53 3.81 (+7%) 91.5
1985 CIN NL 12 15 36 36 9 1 0 256.7 196 102 104 214 3.58 3.89 (+8%) 798.8
1986 CIN NL 5 10 19 19 1 1 0 105.0 113 55 46 67 4.71 3.97 (-19%) -1937.1
1987 CIN NL 3 2 6 6 0 0 0 31.7 34 18 12 11 5.12 4.29 (-19%) -1508.6
1988 CIN NL 3 7 14 14 3 1 0 87.0 88 45 28 34 4.66 3.73 (-25%) -1070.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
303 530 32 70 13 1 1 24 0 11 166 0.132 0.152 0.166 0.318 -3434.4

Career AVG .132 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 49.3% below league average.

Career OBP .152 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 53.1% below league average.

Career SLG .166 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 57.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.318 vs. league average 0.715 across their career seasons — 55.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1977 CIN NL 12 13 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1978 CIN NL 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1979 CIN NL 25 7 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.571 — — — — 0.0
1980 CIN NL 54 46 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 0.043 — — — — 0.0
1981 CIN NL 25 59 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 24 0.068 .255 (-73%) .320 (-74%) .368 (-82%) .688 (-78%) -731.9
1982 CIN NL 37 84 5 14 4 0 0 5 0 4 25 0.167 .261 (-36%) .324 (-34%) .388 (-45%) .712 (-40%) -564.4
1983 CIN NL 35 88 6 11 3 0 0 2 0 1 26 0.125 .260 (-52%) .324 (-59%) .389 (-59%) .714 (-59%) -873.8
1984 CIN NL 33 87 5 18 5 0 1 9 0 0 28 0.207 .259 (-20%) .322 (-37%) .384 (-22%) .707 (-29%) -449.6
1985 CIN NL 37 83 3 11 0 1 0 4 0 1 24 0.133 .257 (-48%) .323 (-56%) .390 (-60%) .714 (-58%) -814.8
1986 CIN NL 20 27 2 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 6 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1987 CIN NL 6 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.083 — — — — 0.0
1988 CIN NL 14 22 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 7 0.045 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 NLCS CIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 1 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1979 NLCS CIN 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 1 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 297 225 95 203 22 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1977 CIN P 12 10 5 9 0 1
1978 CIN P 5 1 0 1 0 0
1979 CIN P 25 0 1 2 0 0
1980 CIN P 53 12 12 25 3 2
1981 CIN P 25 25 10 19 2 1
1982 CIN P 35 34 10 29 3 1
1983 CIN P 34 34 22 28 5 1
1984 CIN P 33 33 12 22 3 1
1985 CIN P 36 36 13 34 2 0
1986 CIN P 19 20 3 16 1 0
1987 CIN P 6 6 2 6 0 0
1988 CIN P 14 14 5 12 3 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 298

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1988 CIN NL $1,200,000
1987 CIN NL $1,200,000
1986 CIN NL $1,150,000
1985 CIN NL $1,071,429
Total Career Earnings $4,621,429

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1984 Cy Young Award NL 6th 2.0 120 0
1983 Cy Young Award NL 2nd 61.0 120 2
1983 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 16.0 336 0
1982 Cy Young Award NL 9th 0.0 120 0
1980 Cy Young Award NL 5th 1.0 120 0