Alfonso Soriano avoids DQ list, will play LF

[MaineDolFan]

Huge shock - Alfonso Soriano will not forfiet his 10 million dollar salary this season and sit out.  He'll bat leadoff today and take his place in LF.

Where, I'm sure, he'll quickly become one of the worst OF in the game.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Huge shock - Alfonso Soriano will not forfiet his 10 million dollar salary this season and sit out.  He'll bat leadoff today and take his place in LF.

Where, I'm sure, he'll quickly become one of the worst OF in the game.

OK, Maine, the baseball expert, lemme ask you this.  Soriano was doing a kick-ass job at 2B when the Yankees traded him to Texas for A-Rod.  If you're the Yankees Manager, would you trade Robinson Cano for Soriano?

Oh wait, I forgot, the Nationals already have an established second baseman.  I'm guessing that this would be a three-team deal.  Who has an expendable outfielder that needs help at 2B?

[Brian Fein]

OK, Maine, the baseball expert, lemme ask you this.  Soriano was doing a kick-ass job at 2B when the Yankees traded him to Texas for A-Rod.  If you're the Yankees Manager, would you trade Robinson Cano for Soriano?

Oh wait, I forgot, the Nationals already have an established second baseman.  I'm guessing that this would be a three-team deal.  Who has an expendable outfielder that needs help at 2B?

WTF are you talking about?

[jtex316]

I think Soriano should just shut his mouth, take the 10 Mil, and TRY to play the best outfield he can possibly play, even if he totally sucks.

They got him for his offensive skills.

[Denver_Bronco]

I think Soriano should just shut his mouth, take the 10 Mil, and TRY to play the best outfield he can possibly play, even if he totally sucks.

They got him for his offensive skills.

Yeah those same offensive skills that are going to decline due to them forcing him to switch positions. Thats the whole problem. I don't care what anyone says, switching positions defensively does take away from your offensive focus at the plate.

[Phishfan]

Yeah those same offensive skills that are going to decline due to them forcing him to switch positions. Thats the whole problem. I don't care what anyone says, switching positions defensively does take away from your offensive focus at the plate.

Only if you are an egotistical prick. Baseball history if full of players switching positions. Pete Rose didn't seem to have any problems at the plate after playing different positions. I still stand by my previous statment that baseball players need to be able to play more than one spot.

[Denver_Bronco]

Only if you are an egotistical prick. Baseball history if full of players switching positions. Pete Rose didn't seem to have any problems at the plate after playing different positions. I still stand by my previous statment that baseball players need to be able to play more than one spot.

I still don't understand what makes a guy egotistical about being a horrible second baseman, then a team putting him into an unfamiliar position and further embarrassing him into being the laughingstock of the league.

[MaineDolFan]

I don't care what anyone says, switching positions defensively does take away from your offensive focus at the plate.

Really?  I know that DI college baseball isn't the majors, but changing positions didn't alter my offensive stats what so ever my first two years.  I was the fifth pitcher in a four man rotation my freshman and sophomore year (which means I got a total of 11 starts on the mound).  I played third, second, first and center - and I didn't know which until the day of the game.  My first two years I hit .386 / 29 / 109 (combined).  I don't buy that at all.  It's not like someone to bat lead off every other game and 7th on the other games.

[Denver_Bronco]

Only if you are an egotistical prick. Baseball history if full of players switching positions. Pete Rose didn't seem to have any problems at the plate after playing different positions. I still stand by my previous statment that baseball players need to be able to play more than one spot.

You have to pardon me if i am incorrect but i am sure the only reason Pete Rose switched positions was to lengthen his career as is the case with most guys who can still hit but are up there in age. I never heard of him being traded and forced to play a position he wasn't comfortable with.

[MaineDolFan]

I still don't understand what makes a guy egotistical about being a horrible second baseman, then a team putting him into an unfamiliar position and further embarrassing him into being the laughingstock of the league.

Jose Vidro = gold glove second baseman.

Sori = worst second baseman in the history of the league.  Seriously.  BUT...a great bat.

Last time I checked, the NL doesn't have a DH.  Sori has a nice arm and speed, left field is a position he could blossom at, defensively.  You CAN NOT have bad defense in the NL and expect to go far, especially up the middle.

[Denver_Bronco]

Really?  I know that DI college baseball isn't the majors, but changing positions didn't alter my offensive stats what so ever my first two years.  I was the fifth pitcher in a four man rotation my freshman and sophomore year (which means I got a total of 11 starts on the mound).  I played third, second, first and center - and I didn't know which until the day of the game.  My first two years I hit .386 / 29 / 109 (combined).  I don't buy that at all.  It's not like someone to bat lead off every other game and 7th on the other games.

But that was your role. A utility guy. You were mentally prepared for that. You knew that there was a possibility you could play anywhere on game day. Soriano is not a utility guy. So Soriano who has strictly played 2nd base for 5 seasons, comes in to spring training  game and without any talk from management get penciled in to play in left field. WTF is that ? Did they even have him out there once hitting him flies previously ? I doubt it.

Enrique Wilson could come off the bench and go 3-4 every 50th game because he prepped himself for that role. Soriano is basically getting dumped out there, like "here ya go buddy."

[Phishfan]

You have to pardon me if i am incorrect but i am sure the only reason Pete Rose switched positions was to lengthen his career as is the case with most guys who can still hit but are up there in age. I never heard of him being traded and forced to play a position he wasn't comfortable with.

Rose spent time at second base, outfield, third base, and the familiar first base. That's a lot of positions to play for the purpose of extending your career. He moved because it was what was needed.

[MaineDolFan]

But that was your role. A utility guy.

Enrique Wilson could come off the bench and go 3-4 every 50th game because he prepped himself for that role. Soriano is basically getting dumped out there, like "here ya go buddy."

Not really.  Utility guys don't start every game, I did.  That's the point.

[Sunstroke]

Yeah those same offensive skills that are going to decline due to them forcing him to switch positions. Thats the whole problem. ...

That's part of the problem anyway. I think a bigger problem than a position switch is the home ballpark switch. Going from Texas to Washington is almost as dramatic a change in scenery as a hitter can get. Soriano's road splits suck, and if you narrow it down to the more expansive AL road venues, Soriano's power numbers drop into the toilet completely. I'm amazed that no one (family, agent, anyone) clued Alfie on to this when he was shopping himself. "Hey Alfie...instead of playing for the grand canyon senators, where ya have to hit it three and a half miles to go yard, how about we check out the cozy postage stamps in Chicago... and Houston...those kinds of places first. Bueno?"

If Soriano hits over 20 HRs this year, I will truly be surprised. To his credit though, Soriano showed down the stretch last season that he still can steal bases in bunches, so maybe that part of his game will give the senators "something" in return for all that money and all these headaches.

Only if you are an egotistical prick. Baseball history if full of players switching positions.

The problems are: A) Alfonso IS an egotistical prick, and B) Most players who successfully make a position change late in their career are overall good glovesmen, and not horrific leather liabilities. Left field is really the only place that Soriano's defense won't totally kill washington, and screw Alfonso if his ego can't handle that.

[Brian Fein]

I wonder what Soriano's reaction would be if he went to, say, Baltimore, where he'd be relegated to DH duties?