John Smoltz Compares Young Braves Star Mike Soroka to Greg Maddux

If one baseball legend is comparing you to another baseball legend, chances are you're on the right track.

Hall of Famer John Smoltz had some high praise for blossoming Atlanta Braves youngster Mike Soroka. After he picked up his fifth win of the season Monday night, Smoltz compared him to fellow Braves icon Greg Maddux.

"He's a pitcher, and that you can't say universally in the game," said Smoltz, himself a Cy Young winner and eight-time All-Star. "There's a lot of throwers. There's a lot of guys with great stuff. He's Greg Maddux 1.0, 2.0, whatever you want to call him."

It's easy to see certain similarities. Maddux was known for his stellar control; Soroka has excelled at limiting baserunners to a profound degree this season. His 0.873 WHIP is one of the lowest marks in the entire game, and it's a number that Maddux bested only once in his illustrious 23-year career.

And, like Maddux, Soroka is superb at limiting the long ball. His 0.2 home runs allowed per nine innings in 2019 are well below Maddux's career mark of 0.6. It's a small sample size given that Soroka is a rookie, so it's wrong to overreact, but you can't argue with his combination of command and movement so far.

It's easy to see why Smoltz was so willing to heap such high praise on the 21-year-old. He's got a slick changeup, a ruthless slider, and a tricky two-seam fastball with sinking action-- and he doesn't even turn 22 until August.

By all measures, these two pitchers do have at least a little something in common. And that can only bode well for the future in Atlanta.