Thoughts on Alfonso Soriano

[Nails86]

Will he return to his old ways of 30/30 or 35/35 or will his SB's stay below 20 again? Does anyone have any ideas for the decline in power and SB's after coming into a better lineup in a more hitter friendly park? Where should be be taken and what should be expected?

[Diggs]

Will he return to his old ways of 30/30 or 35/35 or will his SB's stay below 20 again? Does anyone have any ideas for the decline in power and SB's after coming into a better lineup in a more hitter friendly park? Where should be be taken and what should be expected?

He injured his hamstring early and he injured his quad late. Each caused him to miss double digit games and each hampered him upon his return since he was not playing at 100%. This REALLY affected his SBs.

They say they're still concerned with the quad. It is one of the largest muscles in the body and an injury to it can both take time to heal and be very succeptable to future injury because of the power it generates.

If healthy he will return to 30+/30+. If this hampers him .... expect better numbers than last year but not 2006 numbers.

[Andy1234]

I heard reports on the radio that Soriano said he will probably start the season at around 75%.

This was from a beat reporter after talking with Soriano, Soriano said the 75%, the repoter then went on to speculate that he would most likley drop in the order to bat 5th, based on the fact that he won't be able to run as well, and would be better suited to be in a spot to drive in runs.

But we all have heard about him batting lower and it hasn't happened yet, so everyone will have to wait and see. I think if the Cubs end up with Roberts its a no-brainer, but I think it should be a no-brainer anyway even without Roberts

I have no link, I'm just paraphasing what I heard on the Radio (WSCR here in Chicago)

[d18Mike]

Nothing is certain in this world ... but I need my first and second round picks to be pretty darn close. I'm risk averse in those rounds, and hyper risk tolerant in the late rounds. I'm steering clear of limpers Sorianio (who KILLED me last year) and Beltran and Pujols. I'll let someone else assume the risk that early.

Also, take at look at Soriano's historical splits -- when he is batting anywhere other than 1st, he just does not run.

[Yoda]

Soriano is at the age when a lot of players start to run less. Add in leg injuries and you are not looking at a 30/30 guy anymore. I think he will hit 30 HRs but not sure if you should expect more than 15 or so SBs.

[BJSFAN123]

He will hit 35+ HR imo, but no clue how many bases he will steal. Also, expect a drop in avg...don't expect him to hit .299 again.

[Field]

I did think he was lined up for a nice bounce-back season and a potential first round value coming from a second round pick. However, all of the recent reports have me worried and I don't see any reason to grab him in the second round based on all of the news we've seen. Especially when theres an abundance of quality OFs you can grab in the 3rd/4th round: Markakis, Rios, Hart, etc.