Alfonso Soriano Handles Your Criticism Pretty Well
When we signed Alfonso Soriano be a Cub for the next century, we were all pretty excited. Skeptical maybe, but excited to see the Cubs go out and sign such a big talent. Unfortunately some realities have become apparent a few years into the contract that may not have been so obvious at the time we signed the guy. Here are 3 facts about Soriano that we are just going to have to deal with going forward:
- He isn’t going to run. Not anywhere. Not on the bases, not in the field, and probably not in the offseason.
- He is a sub-par outfielder at best, and that hop isn’t going anywhere.
- He will swing at anything the pitchers throw. If its too close to the plate and not a curveball, there’s a good chance he’ll hit it. If its not, swing and a miss.
Those things just are what they are. As Cubs fans, we are going to have to deal with it. The one thing that seems to be lost in all this, however, is Soriano’s ability to take a ton of heat from the media and fans constantly. He’s been booed by fans and ripped apart by the media on a daily basis. There is no loyalty, even though the man was stellar in 07 and 08, had a bad 09, and is swinging a hot bat again early this season. One bad year and this city turned on him. Did he lash out like Milton Bradley? No. Did he mope like Jacque Jones? Nope. He has been a model of patience and understanding with a city full of fans that will have treated him like crap.
Should we love Fonzy for being patient with us, even as he is being impatient at the plate? No. But we can’t forget how hard it is to have a spotlight on you all the time, especially with a ton of mostly unwarranted negativity. Soriano has comported himself very professionally and deserves some credit for it.
(Note: The irony of writing this piece about loving Soriano only when he is hitting well is not lost on me.)
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Time May 5, 2010 at 6:01 am
[...] Soriano is susceptible to striking out and his defensive style is more suited for a DH, as Stormin’ Norman Disciple has affirmed, but he is hitting .325 with 6 homeruns. We are getting excellent early season production out of [...]