Soriano: 1-hole or hole in 1?
Piniella sticking with him in leadoff spot, and it's a sensible move
Alfonso Soriano braved the icy winds Tuesday at Wrigley Field to undergo the last major test on his strained right calf and was cleared for leadoff.
So when Soriano comes off the disabled list Thursday for the finale of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, he will go right back into the leadoff spot in the Cubs' lineup.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
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This has become a hot topic with Cubs fans who feel their team sizzled while Soriano was on the shelf. Many like the Cubs just fine the way they are, with scrap-heap find Reed Johnson leading off and the $136 million man out of the picture.
But if you think manager Lou Piniella will change his mind between now and Thursday, you don't know Piniella very well.
''We signed him here to an eight-year contract last year knowing that he was as good a leadoff hitter as there was in baseball -- or the best because of the power and stolen bases,'' Piniella said during a private moment in the dugout Tuesday. ''What has changed in a year? Last year, he had a few leg problems, and he still hit 33 home runs, drove in 70 runs and just about hit .300. What's changed?''
For starters, Soriano has lost a step or three. He's hitting .175 with 11 strikeouts and 10 hits in 57 at-bats. And the Cubs did spend most of the offseason and all of spring training pursuing a new leadoff hitter.
That said, returning Soriano to the leadoff spot makes the most sense.
Sounds crazy, but that's what you get when it comes to Soriano. This is a superstar who performs best in a comfort zone. Remember, he does that little bunny hop before catching flies to feel more comfortable. Hitting leadoff is Soriano's offensive security blanket -- something he especially needs now after getting off to such a slow start, then spending the last two weeks on the disabled list.
For his part, Soriano said all the right things Tuesday.
''Lou is the manager,'' he said. ''Wherever he wants to put me in the lineup. He tried at the beginning of the season batting me second. He went back to batting me leadoff.
''I like to bat leadoff, but at this point, it's like the military. Whatever he wants to do, I'm open.''
Sounds good when Soriano is relaxing in front of his locker. Put him in a game -- his first game back -- and it will be a different story.
Over the last three seasons, Soriano has shown he thrives best batting leadoff, where he has hit .299 with a .352 on-base percentage and .575 slugging percentage. Batting fifth -- where he has had the next-most work over the last three seasons -- Soriano has hit .268 with a .314 on-base percentage and .524 slugging percentage.
Don't forget, the Cubs were 8-3 with Soriano leading off before he got hurt. With Johnson leading off, they're 6-3. Johnson's average hitting leadoff over the last three years is .297. He won't hit nearly as many homers or steal as many bases as Soriano.
Most important, he honestly doesn't care where he hits in Piniella's lineup.
''I'm not going to all of a sudden try to become a power guy if I'm hitting in an RBI spot in the lineup,'' Johnson said. ''I'm not going to change my swing if I'm hitting eighth. I'm going to approach everything the same way, and hopefully I have the same results.''
Johnson would be a nice fit in the eighth spot once Soriano returns to the leadoff spot.
As for Soriano's slow start, Piniella watched his star struggle last April. He's not putting much stock in the 32-year-old's first-month numbers.
''For these Latin kids, it's not the easiest thing in the world hitting in cold, cold weather,'' Piniella said. ''Look, if he stays healthy -- I'm talking leg-wise -- he's going to steal 30 bases again. Now, can he still steal 45 or 50? Probably not. But that's not what we got him for. We got him in here to hit the ball out of the ballpark, score some runs for us and to drive in runs.
''We've got three what you would classify as legit power hitters here, and Soriano's one of them. We've done a nice job compensating, but over a long period of time, you are going to need Soriano in the lineup doing what Soriano does.''
Besides, it's Piniella's lineup, and he's going to do what he thinks is best.
In this case, batting Soriano in the leadoff spot really is best.
''Look, Alfonso is a special talent,'' Piniella said. ''Forget the other positions in the lineup. He is going to hit leadoff, and that's the end of it. You lead him off, and then you do what you have to do second through eight.''
