Monday, February 17, 2014

Meet A Prospect: Alfonso Soriano


Alfonso Guilleard Soriano was born on January 7th, 1976 in San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. Contrary to a popular report and belief or two Guilleard does not translate into "2013 Yankees season savior" even in the most broken of Spanish. Let's take a look at how Alfonso got to where he is today in his major league career.

Soriano began his professional career in 1996 playing for the Japanese League and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp team after training at their Carp Team Academy in the Dominican Republic. Soriano made quick work through the academy and was promoted to the varsity team in 1997 wearing jersey #74 and appearing in nine games batting a robust .118 with two walks. After a monetary dispute and the Carp refusing to increase his salary from $45,000 to $180,000 Soriano hired Don Nomaru and came to play in the United States. Commissioner Bud Selig, after a lengthy dispute between the Nippon Professional Baseball league and Soriano to try and get out of his contract Bud Selig announced that Soriano would be a free agent on July 13th, 1998. The New York Yankees quickly snatched up Soriano as a free agent in 1998 and called him up on September 19th in 1999 for his major league debut.

Soriano burst onto the Yankees scene as a third basemen before being moved to second base over concerns with his arm strength. Soriano was elected to the Future's Game in his first year in 1999 and won the MVP award in the game after hitting two home runs in the contest. Soriano would make his major league debut on September 19th that season and got his first hit, a game winning home run, against Norm Charlton of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays that season. Soriano was limited to only 22 games in 2000 before becoming a full time player in 2001. Soriano would have a great rookie campaign, finishing third in the Rookie of the Year award voting, playing in 158 games and putting up a triple slash of .268/.304/.432 with 18 HRs and 73 RBIs and a trip to the World Series. Soriano would have two game winning hits in the playoffs that season and would have had a third when he hit the go ahead home run off of Arizona's Curt Schilling before the Diamondbacks came back and walked off for the series victory in the seventh game.


In 2002 Soriano joined Bobby Bonds as the second Yankees player to ever hit 30 HRs and have 30 SBs in a season finishing with a .300/.322/.547 triple slash and 39 HRs, 102 RBIs, and 41 SBs. Soriano also led the league in plate appearances, at bats, runs scored, hits, and stolen bases that season. Soriano would repeat the 30/30 club feat in 2003 as well as setting the Yankees record for most lead off home runs in a season with 13 while leading the league in at bats for the second straight year. Soriano finished 2013 with a triple slash of .290/.338/.525 with 38 home runs, 91 RBIs, and 35 SBs. Soriano would be traded that offseason in the deal that brought Alex Rodriguez to the Bronx and stole him away from the rival Boston Red Sox in the process.

Soriano would spend the next two seasons in Arlington with the Texas Rangers including a 2004 All Star Game election and MVP award after hitting a home run off of the Astros Roger Clemens. Soriano also became the first Ranger to have six hits in a nine inning game on May 8th of that season in a 16-15 win over the Detroit Tigers. In 2005 Soriano finished sixth in the American League in stolen bases, third in extra base hits, and eight in strike outs. Soriano would leave after being traded in the offseason before the 2006 season to the Washington Nationals.


Soriano would spend one season in Washington and received a record setting $10,000,000 in arbitration after requesting what was thought of as an insane amount in $12,000,000. The Nationals would offer Soriano a five year extension offer worth $50,000,000 that was ultimately rejected by the soon to be free agent. For the first time as a full time player Soriano was moved to left field by manager Frank Robinson causing Soriano to refuse to take the field. The Nationals threatened Soriano with disqualification which meant a forfeit of salary as well as not being a free agent at seasons end so Alfonso took the field two days later in what would be a permanent move for the long time second basemen. Soriano thrived in left and became one of the few players to ever get elected to two All Star games at two different positions in his career. Soriano smashed a career high 46 home runs, took a career high 67 walks, and stole 40 stolen bases joining the elusive 40/40 club. Soriano became the quickest to ever reach the 200 home run and 200 stolen base club doing so in 929 games smashing Eric Davis' previous record of 1,053 games. In September Soriano had his 20th outfield assist becoming the only player in major league history to have 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 20 assists in one season. Soriano would become the fourth member of the 40/40 club joining Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez as well as the only player to ever have 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 40 doubles in a season. Soriano would enter free agency with all the leverage in the world and looking for a huge contract.

Soriano went looking for that contract did not take long to find it as he signed an eight year deal worth nearly $136,000,000 with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent. The deal that would run through the 2014 would be the richest contract that the Chicago Cubs ever handed out in their history. Soriano would repay the Cubs with a 2007 All Star Game selection and one of the most productive Septembers in franchise history hitting 14 HRs, 27 RBIs, a .320 batting average, and a National League Central division title for the Cubs. The Cubs would be swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ALDS but Soriano would finish with 33 HRs, 70 RBIs, and a .299 average. Soriano came out of the gate struggling in 2008 and ended up on the disabled list before turning things around and getting a 2008 All Star Game selection even though he had a broken ring finger because of a hit by pitch on June 11th. The Cubs got another playoff run behind Soriano leading the team in home runs in only 109 games but lost at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.


2009 may have been the beginning of the decline for Soriano after a hot start Alfonso was dropped in the order and was not elected as a starter for the All Star Game by the fans, finishing in 4th place. Soriano led the league for left fielders in errors and saw his season cut short by a left knee injury in September. Soriano dropped all the way to the 6th spot in the lineup in 2010 where he again led the league for errors by a left fielder but also played in 147 games while collecting 40 doubles and 79 RBIs. Soriano also smashed his 300th home run off of Jake Peavy. 2011 was another season and another league leading errors campaign including a .244 average with 26 home runs. 2012 was a bit of a bounce back year for Soriano as he belted 32 home runs and had a .262 batting average to go with 108 RBIs. Soriano also may have finally figured out left field as he only made one error out there all season, easily his career best. Soriano played in 93 games for the Cubs in 2013 including having a .254 average with 17 HRs and 54 RBIs before being traded to the New York Yankees for RHP Corey Black on July 26th.


Soriano was a welcomed addition back at home with the team where his career started, the New York Yankees, after the team was offensively anemic and riddled by injuries all season long. Soriano wasted no time getting his 2,000th hit off of Justin Verlander in a Yankees uniform as well as hitting his 400th career home run on August 27th. Soriano also went on to teach an RBI clinic when he got six RBIs on August 13th only to follow up his performance the next day with seven RBI's. Soriano had 18 RBI's in that four game span tying a Major League record and pushed the Yankees right back into the playoff hunt. While the Yankees fell just short on the playoff push it was no fault of Soriano's as he finished his 2013 campaign with the Yankees with a .256/.325/.525 triple slash with 50 RBIs in 58 games, 17 finger points, and more swag and confidence than any New York Yankee last season. Soriano can be seen in left field and in the batters box in 2014 with the New York Yankees in his final season before he heads back to free agency before the 2015 season.

Soriano is married to his lovely wife Angelica Soriano, as seen the Yankees Wives & Girlfriends section of the blog, and they have three daughters Alisis, Angeline, and Alisha to go with three sons named Allen, Angel, and Alfonso Jr. You can see Mr. Soriano all season long this coming season in pinstripes manning left field for us and finger pointing after every home run.

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)