The WV23 research department uncovered an interesting fact: After going 2-for-5 in last night's game against the Padres, Alfonso Soriano has now gone 29 consecutive plate appearances without striking out - the longest such streak of his career.
He's batting .464, with three home runs, eight RBIs and six runs during that time.
Welcome back, Fonsie.
Let's check back in on some goofiness from the first six weeks on how Alfonso Soriano is hurting the Cubs - not necessarily by slumping, but by being selfish and (in one odd case) being "Latin."
It is an article of faith among some that the Cubs are not as good at baseball when Soriano bats leadoff. Some say he should bat fifth or even sixth. Still others say he doesn't even belong in the lineup.
The first is a possibility, the second is more than defensible, the last is the product of the fever swamps.
And then there are those arguments that are just intellectually dishonest, while making a possibly valid point:
The Cubs scored 7.36 runs per game with Soriano out of the lineup. Since his return on May 1, they are scoring 4.5. And even that 4.5 is misleading; their totals are 3, 3, 9, 3, and 3. Throw out the high and the low and you’re stuck at 3 runs per game. The Cubs are 2-13 for the season when scoring 3 runs or less. Wow, it’s a good thing we’re maximizing Soriano’s ability to feel good about himself.
Later in the post was this doozy:
The question to ask is not “where should Soriano bat”. The right question to ask is “should he be playing at all?”
1. This was written after Soriano's fifth game back. As of last night, the Cubs are averaging five-plus runs in the games he has played since he returned. Not only that, he has accounted for 35 percent of those runs (30 percent if you subtract two RBIs for the home runs, as those shouldn't count twice).
2. Um, why would you throw out the high (9) and the low (one of the 3s) in the five games in which he played - but not do the same for the games in which he didn't play (the high, by the way, was a softball-like score of 19)? Curious.
3. If "managing is about winning games" - as the linked post says in its headline - why would you not start the player who leads off when the Cubs win their highest percentage of games? I sure would.
Last year, the Cubs were 70-56 with Soriano leading off and 15-21 with anybody else leading off. This year, the Cubs are 12-7 with Soriano leading off and 11-8 with anybody else batting first.*
That's a two-year total of 82-63 (.566) and 26-29 (.472).
So ... is this about "winning games" or is it some other problem people have with Soriano?
*Corrected from 13-7, as I mistakenly counted the bunny hop game in which he didn't actually bat.
Just when Alfonso Soriano and Lou Piniella debates threaten to ruin all that is pure in the world, Ozzie Guillen comes along to remind us that lineup critiques and crazy managers are not solely restricted to Chicago's north side:
"Right now everyone in Chicago is making lineups -- 'Call up this guy, call up that guy.' ... If we had 50 people allowed on the roster, we could do that. That's what ticks me off about Chicago fans and Chicago media: They forget pretty quickly. A couple of days ago we were the [bleeping] best [stuff] in town. Now we're [bleep]," Guillen said to the aforementioned Chicago media before the game.
Guillen observed that Chicago still loved the Cubs, even though they have not won a World Series since 1908, but the White Sox -- winners of the 2005 World Series -- did not receive the same affectionate support.
"We won it a couple years ago, and we're horse[bleep]," Guillen said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "The Cubs haven't won in [100] years, and they're the [bleeping] best. [Bleep] it, we're good. [Bleep] everybody. We're horse[bleep], and we're going to be horse[bleep] the rest of our lives, no matter how many World Series we win.
"We are the [bleep] of Chicago. We're the Chicago [bleep]. We have the worst owner [Jerry Reinsdorf]. The guy's got seven [bleeping] rings, and he's the [bleeping] horse[bleep] owner."
Good times.
On ESPN just now, the broadcast team just asked Michael Scott why he hasn't moved Soriano to the 5 hole. This question came just after Soriano looked horrible, yet again, striking out on a ball that Tiger Woods couldn't have hit with a driver.
A grinning Michael -- you know, he flashed that make-all-my-goofy-decisions-look-smart-with-a-smile we love seeing every Thursday -- flippantly compared the situation to when he played with Bobby Bonds in NY together. The Yanks got Bobby and put him in the 4 hole and he struggled. They put him back in the leadoff and "he flourished." Michael went on to compare Soriano to Bobby (who must have rolled multiple times in his grave) and said he's comfortable leaving Stanley in the leadoff spot, where he's confident he'll flourish.
Michael, get a grip already. Stanley is hitting .167 -- before the embarrassing strikeout. He can't hit leadoff anymore. He's a wild swinger. Put him in the 5 hole (actually 6, don't mess with Fukudome) and let him swing as wildly as he wants. We can put up with a eventual .250 hitter knocking 30 HRs and 80 RBIs in the sixth hole. He's killing us in the leadoff spot.
So, Michael, stop being a 'fraidy cat. Confront Stanley and move him down. Pretend he's an umpire and kick his ---, and tell him he's going to hit 6 and do it with a smile on his face.
Do you know what Alfonso Soriano's problem is? HendryIsClueLess at TCR sure does:
Soriano is a typical latin lolly gagger that (sic) thinks hitting HRs when it doesnt (sic) matter mean more than doing the little things to win games. He doesnt (sic) even sprint for flyballs in the gap. Hendry and the scouts should have known, instead of just looking at his stats for a last place team (Nats).
So, to recap: 1. he's latin, 2. a lollygagger - and a latin one at that, 3. he hits home runs when they don't matter (while latin), and 4. he doesn't do the little things (like Theriot, presumably, who is white).
One and two, on their face, are simply racist - a word that has never been used on this site. But it is what it is. As for four, I'll forgive him some of the little things as long as he does the big things, such as carry the team to the playoffs - as he did last September.
But we're really here to talk about No. 3.
Of Soriano's 33 home runs in 2007, here is how they break down:
1. He hit 13 with the score tied, surely a function of his many leadoff homers. But on each of the 13, he gave the Cubs the lead. Do those "matter," Mr. HendryIsClueLess?
2. He hit seven while the Cubs were behind. Of those, two tied the game and two put the Cubs ahead. Do those "matter"? On the other three, the Cubs lost the game. Presumably, he should have worked in a sacrifice bunt or a dive in the dirt to appear scrappy.
3. He hit 13 while the Cubs were ahead. Of those, five came with the Cubs up by one run and another five came with the Cubs ahead by two runs. Presumably, the extra runs provided by Soriano's homers were not needed and do not "matter." Again, he should have found a way to do something little, like rescue a kitten from a tree. Or needlepoint a pillow for a senior citizen. That would have been nice.
When he comes back tomorrow, Alfonso Soriano will still be doing the bunny hop as he catches the ball in the outfield. He told Erin (!) he did not injure himself hopping, as he hops off the opposite leg that was injured.
Update: Erin (!) talks to Mark Cuban, who wants to own the Cubs. Wrigleyville23 wants Cuban to own the Cubs. Wrigleyville23 likes Erin Andrews. It's win-win-win.
You'll notice in the video that Ryan Theriot is very close to Soriano at the time of the injury. Therefore, I blame Theriot.
This tops Sammy's sneezing, Woody falling in a hot tub and Mark Prior injuring himself by being Mark Prior. Just ridiculous.
In yesterday's paper, Brett Myers said he had been "doo-dooing stuff up there" in his previous two starts. Today, he says he had been "lollipopping them up there."
Either way, he helped make Wrigleyville Jr. The First's inaugural Cubs game less than successful, though we did get to stay for the whole game and see Soriano, Lee and Ramirez homer. Plus, the park is excellent - an A-, with points off only for the profane 13-year-old girls sitting behind us with their parents. I'm guessing they were from Jersey.
Speaking of jerseys, the Total Lack Of Self Awareness Award of the week goes to the guy two rows in front of us who kept calling everyone a loser - all while wearing a Shane Victorino jersey. Yes, a Shane Victorino jersey.
Out of curiosity, why do people keep running on Alfonso Soriano? Maybe they don't know that no outfielder has thrown out more baserunners since the start of the 2006 season. Far be it from me to tell them.
Alfonso Soriano leads off, the Cubs win. Pretty simple, apparently.
Oh, and Woody. Nice.
When asked two weeks ago if Alfonso Soriano would "ever" bat leadoff again, Lou Piniella said:
"Not right now, no," Piniella said. "With the cold weather in Chicago, taking away that responsibility where he has to run, run, run, that's a recipie where we're looking for problems. We'll keep Theriot in the No. 1 hole."
We were of course skeptical - and predicted this would change by April 21, when Soriano would be moved back into the leadoff spot. Instead, it took just two games:
"It's something I've been thinking about since the end of Spring Training, and we'll go with it," Piniella said. "Soriano is running better. We'll put him in the leadoff hole, where he's more comfortable, and let him hit there."
The top of the order performed thusly today for the Chicago Cubs:
Ryan Theriot, 0-5, 2 Ks.
Alfonso Soriano, 0-5, 2Ks.
For the mathematically challenged, that is 0-10, with 4 Ks.
From Cubs.com:
So, will Soriano ever lead off again for the Cubs?
"Not right now, no," Piniella said. "With the cold weather in Chicago, taking away that responsibility where he has to run, run, run, that's a recipie where we're looking for problems. We'll keep Theriot in the No. 1 hole."
To recap: Will Soriano ever lead off again? Not right now, no.
So maybe some day? I've got April 21 against the Mets.
On Sunday, I wondered how in the world Alfonso Soriano could return from a broken finger in 3-5 days.
On Monday, the Cubs provide the answer: He can't.
Go figure. The Cubs were a big off on their estimate on a player returning from injury. You won't see that again, or at least until the next player is injured.
1. How do you break a finger catching a fly ball? I'm guessing he uses a glove. The Cubs have to lead the league in odd injuries (throwing your back out sneezing, falling getting out of a hot tub, etc).
2. How does it only take 3-5 days to come back from a broken finger? I'm guessing he uses his hands a lot to play baseball.
Lastings Milledge, once one of the great un- to barely-touchables of the New York Mets or any other system, is going to the Washington Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. The Mets clearly held onto "the Next Gary Sheffield" much too long if this is all they could get for him.
Alfonso Soriano is one of a handful of baseball players getting involved in a hedge fund started by their "advisers." Nothing bad could happen here.
While it would have been more timely to write this over the weekend, I wanted to take a couple of days to digest the sheer crapfest that was the Chicago Cubs post-season and share my thoughts about the season that wasn't.
Overall, my reaction to the Cubs' post-season performance was "not surprised." While many fans waved signs reading "Believe," I just couldn't. This team displayed none of the characteristics of a championship team. The talent was there, especially to win in the National League. But did anyone who watched this team for an extensive period of time this year ever get the impression that this was a team of destiny?
Teams of destiny tend to overperform, not underperform. Teams of destiny are focused, and want to win. So as the Cubs look to build for next year, the things they need are the things that will be toughest to find -- desire and leadership.
Simply put, this team has no personality. That's not to say that it is a team devoid of personalities. There is Carlos' craziness and Soriano's playfullness. But as a whole, this team is like a guy sitting on a couch at a college party who doesn't seem to care that his girlfriend is making out with another guy. They're just terribly unmotivated, and nothing seems to really faze them.
For example -- after the team endured a horrible first two months, Lou had to suggest to Derrek Lee that they have a players only meeting. Two straight months of terrible baseball, and the manager had to suggest a players meeting. And that pretty much tells me all I need to know about this group. A manager can be responsible for a lot of things, but it shouldn't be his responsibility to make the players care.
I don't know what the fix is to this situation, but I know that signing A-Rod or any other number of high profile moves won't address the underlying problem. So while the focus will remain on what the big 3 of Soriano, Lee and Ramirez failed to do on the field in the playoffs, I believe the focus should be on what they failed to do in the clubhouse all season. Namely, lead. And if they continue to abdicate that responsibility, then maybe it's time to find them homes somewhere else.
