Here’s a quote from an interview that Soriano did with ESPN Chicago, talking about his role in the lineup.
“The way they treat me this year, I don’t like it. The way they have me hit in the No. 7, 5 and 6 spots, I have trouble concentrating on the job hitting in those different spots. But (Mike) Quade is the manager and does his best to try to make the team better.”
Alfonso, I can tell you why you hit seventh in the Cubs lineup: because you have never been much of a guy to take a walk (career 5.9% walk rate), you’re no longer fast (16 stolen bases over the last three years with the Cubs after 19 each in his first two seasons on the North Side), and oh yeah, your OBP on the season is a dismal .288. That OBP is fourth worst among qualifiers in the National League, trailing only a pair of middle infielders in Yuniesky Betancourt and Alex Gonzalez, and Casey McGehee.
Do you know why you hit players with high OBPs high in the order? Because they get on base the most, and you want them getting your most plate appearances. Soriano hitting seventh isn’t some form of disrespect, it’s because he doesn’t get on base and he’s not one of the Cubs best hitters. The players hitting above Soriano in the order for most of this season are all guys who are able to get on base more than him. Guys like Starlin Castro (.342 OBP), Darwin Barney (.313), Carlos Pena (.358), Aramis Ramirez (.360) and Marlon Byrd (.326) all have OBPs that crush Soriano’s pathetic mark. All except Pena have higher batting averages too. Hell, I wouldn’t put up much of a fight if Geovany Soto (.310) hit in front of Soriano too.
The one saving grace about Soriano’s game this season in his power (.222 ISO, second best on the team behind Pena among regulars). And hell, don’t you want the guy with more power hitting behind the guys who get on base a lot? Soriano’s job at this stage in his career isn’t to get on base and cause havoc in addition to hitting bombs, like it was during his tenures with the Rangers and Nationals. All he’s supposed to do anymore is drive in runs, which he can do better hitting lower in the lineup behind the guys who know how to take a pitch.
I’ll give Mike Quade some love for sticking to his guns and keeping Soriano low in the order and not bending to his star player’s will. But it’s only going to get worse for the Cubs, because this guy is still under contract until the end of the 2014 season, for $18 million a year. If he’s already complaining about his role now, imagine how he’s going to be complaining when he’s an even less effective player as the contract goes on, and his value to the team dwindles down even more. Godspeed, Chicago.
