The 136 Million Dollar Man isn’t Indestructable
After a diving attempt to snag a fly ball, then slipping while trying to throw the ball back to the infield, Cubs center fielder Alfonso Soriano suffered a three to four inch strain in his hamstring that will likely have him spending some time on the disabled list.
Soriano, who was the Cubs major off-season aquisition and the reason many people pick Chicago to be competitive in 2007 hasn’t really gotten off to the start that many people had expected. The Cubs signed Soriano to an eight year contract worth more than 130 million dollars, in part because of the monster year he had with the otherwise less than entertaining Washington Nationals last season. In 159 games in ‘06, Alfonso hit .277 with 46 homeruns and 95 RBI in one of the larger, more pitcher friendly stadiums in Major League Baseball, he also managed 41 doubles and 41 stolen bases making him one of the most potent offensive threats in the National League last year.
So far this season, in twelve games with the Cubs, Soriano is batting only .245 with no homeruns and only one RBI. Probably not the numbers the Cubs expected from the player with the biggest paycheck on the roster and now he’s heading to the DL with a bad wheel. That means he’ll likely miss at least ten days, and he probably won’t be nearly as much of a threat on the base paths for a few weeks while he fully recovers from the injury.
There’s a good chance that Soriano will be his old self again - pounding homeruns and stealing bases with the best of them, but right now I’m happy the Phillies didn’t shell out 136 million on him.
Cubs, Alfonso Soriano, free agent signings, baseball injuries
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