Alfonso Soriano’s Knee is Going to Be An Issue All Year
Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano was something of a non-issue last year.
Not because there weren’t storylines swirling around him, but instead because he didn’t really show much to talk about on the field. He missed a third of the season with knee issues, and when he did play, he put up the worst numbers of his career. The Cubs hope offseason knee surgery will straighten things out, but we’re certain to continue hearing about the knee all season.
“He’s healthy, and we expect him to be a better all-around player,” Piniella said.
Soriano has been working hard with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. One suggestion Jaramillo has made is for Soriano to shorten his stride. Second baseman Mike Fontenot and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome also are trying to make that adjustment.
This will be the first year in which Soriano will not be leading off for the Cubs. He was dropped to sixth in the lineup last July 4. He batted .268 in 41 games there while hitting .228 as the leadoff man.
“I think he’s fine with it,” Piniella said of the switch. “We’re not going to expect 30 stolen bases from him or anything like that. Hitting in the sixth hole, he can save his legs a little more.
“What we need from Alfonso is some power and RBI production. The six hole is a really nice spot to hit in a National League lineup. I know he’s comfortable with it because I’ve asked him. Let’s hope he has an injury-free season and gets back to where he was a couple years ago and [is] a little more disciplined and [has] a healthy season, and a productive one.”
Being healthy should definitely help Soriano in the outfield. He totaled seven outfield assists last season, the first time he did not finish in double figures since he was converted to an outfielder. Soriano led the Major Leagues with 22 assists in 2006. A big part of the problem was that he couldn’t plant on his left leg because of his sore knee.
Whether or not the Cubs will sub someone in late innings for Soriano has yet to be determined.
“Let’s see how this team is put together,” Piniella said. “I was talking to my coaches today and we have some work to do here outfield-wise. We need to find one other outfielder in camp who can swing the bat a little bit and at the same time play good defense for us.
“Right now, I’d like to just let them play and let them go. One thing we need to do is I need to rest [Soriano] a little more. We’ll do that.” cubs.com.
Soriano is expected to play in his first Spring Training game this weekend, and the Cubs will assuredly take it easy with him all Spring.
Putting Soriano down in the order is, of course, a good and necessary idea. But putting him in the six-hole, where the hitter behind him will likely be someone like Mike Fontenot? That could create a lot of non-fastball at bats for Soriano, where we all know he’s bound to fail. Hopefully he shows he’s fully healed and has his bat speed back so that the Cubs can move him at least to the five-hole where he’s more likely to see fastballs, with men on base. Marlon Byrd may do some things well, but getting on base is not one of them.
ShareFirst Spring Training Lineup Holds Clues for the Season
The Chicago Cubs will play their first Spring Training game tomorrow, and manager Lou Piniella has released the lineup for the game:
1. Ryan Theriot SS
2. Kosuke Fukudome RF
3. Derrek Lee 1B
4. Aramis Ramirez 3B
5. Marlon Byrd CF
6. Tyler Colvin LF
7. Mike Fontenot 2B
8. Geovany Soto C
9. Randy Wells P
Now, this lineup is, of course, both early and not necessarily indicative of the lineup Piniella has in his head for the regular season, but a few things should jump out at you.
First is, well, first. Ryan Theriot is batting leadoff, and not Kosuke Fukudome. This could be a sign that Piniella would rather have Theriot leadoff, generally, than Fukudome. Next, note that Marlon Byrd is fifth, with Tyler Colvin - who is holding Alfonso Soriano’s spot - batting sixth. This is almost certainly how things will play out at the start of the season, short of an offensive explosion for Soriano in Spring Training.
Then there is Mike Fontenot getting the nod at second base. This might mean nothing more than the fact that Fontenot was the presumptive starter last year, or that the Cubs expect to face a right-handed starter. But still, it’s interesting. It’s also interesting to see Geovany Soto all the way down in the 8 hole. Wouldn’t it be nice if he had a productive season?
SharePiniella: No Plans to Platoon at Second Base
One of the few open competitions on the Chicago Cubs this Spring is at second base. Incumbent, nominal starter Mike Fontenot had a terrible season last year after tearing it up in 2008. Mid-season, the Cubs acquired versatile back-up type Jeff Baker, who went on to hit .300 with the Cubs.
So who’s the starter in 2010?
It’s been a reasonable assumption thus far that the answer was: both of ‘em. Predictably, Fontenot, as a lefty, is generally a better hitter against righties, and Baker, as a right, is generally a better hitter against lefties. The Cubs would like to have Fontenot in the lineup as much as possible, given that he would be just the second lefty after Kosuke Fukudome. But for his career, Fontenot puts up a pathetic .630 OPS against lefties. Jeff Baker against lefties? .889!
So this is a pairing that just screams platoon. Right? Well, not to Cubs manager Lou Piniella.
“I don’t think it will end up as a platoon,” Piniella recently said. “It could end up that way, yes. We haven’t played any games yet this spring, and we’d like to see this thing how it works on the field. What it’s going to depend on is who swings the bat. They can both play defensively. It’s whoever brings the best bat to the party is the one who’s going to get the bulk of the playing time.”
Oh, Lou. Guys don’t just suddenly start dominating in ways that they’ve previously sucked for years. Fontenot will never be a great hitter against lefties, and Baker will probably continue to be a great hitter against lefties. So unless Piniella is secretly saying he thinks Baker will be the everyday starter, a refusal to platoon is really going to irk me.
ShareLou Piniella Hoping Mike Fontenot Can Backup Shortstop
With far more options to join the Chicago Cubs bench this year than there are spots, the team will have to make many difficult choices in filling out its 25-man roster. Manager Lou Piniella is hoping that Mike Fontenot can back up shortstop, making some of those choices just a little bit easier.
“Either you’re going to want a little more defense, or you’re going to want some offense,” Piniella said. “If Fontenot can play some shortstop, we can look to carry a bat. If he can’t, well then basically, we’ll be able to carry one less bat on the bench.”
In other words, the Cubs may be looking for a way to keep a player such as Kevin Millar, Chad Tracy, Bryan LaHair or Micah Hoffpauir. The odd-man out in that situation could be slick-fielding infielder Andres Blanco.
“We know that Blanco can do a nice job as a utility infielder and backup shortstop,” Piniella said. “Depending on what we do in the outfield, and we’re just supposing, if we carry a defensive center fielder to help (Marlon) Byrd out, a defensive infielder, (Koyie) Hill catching, now all of a sudden, you start getting a little thin offensively coming off the bench. If we can get a few of these other guys to be able to fill in for a day or two, we might be able to carry another bat.
“No determination has been made, but we’ve got to look at those things.” Daily Herald.
Or, the team could not carry 12 pitchers, but whateves.
With a five-man bench, there is only so much flexibility that the Cubs can have, even if Fontenot can backup shortstop. We know that Koyie Hill and Xavier Nady get a spot. The non-starting second baseman - Fontenot or Jeff Baker - gets another spot. That leaves just two spots. The good news is that, with those three guys, the Cubs can pretty much have a backup at every spot, assuming Fontenot can backup shortstop. The only tricky one is center field, but worst case scenario, Kosuke Fukudome can back it up, and the Cubs can insert Nady into right field.
That means that, at least in theory, the Cubs will be able to choose the two best players to keep on the roster. They’ll probably grab an outfielder who can play solid defense (Sam Fuld?), and an infielder who’s got a big bat off the bench (Chad Tracy?). Those are just my super-early thoughts, so it will be interesting to watch as things play out.
ShareSomeone’s Gonna Bat Leadoff, But Lou Piniella Doesn’t Know Who
Most of the Chicago Cubs’ lineup this year is set. We know that Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez will hit three and four. We know that Marlon Byrd and Alfonso Soriano will hit five and six. We know that Geovany Soto and the second baseman will hit seven and eight.
But one spot yet undecided is at the top of the order. Who’s going to lead off?
Kosuke Fukudome and Ryan Theriot say they want the job, which manager Lou Piniella said he likes to hear, but he’s not sure which will get the job — or whether it will be a combination of the two.
”I haven’t thought about it all that much, to be honest,” Piniella said. ”We’ll see what happens here in the spring with it. We’ll just use one one day and use one the next, and we’ll see. It depends how they’re swinging the bat, depends on who the [opposing] pitcher is — there’ll be some variable.
”But we’d like to stay constant, too. We’ll come up with something.” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Haven’t thought about it much? Really, Lou? I mean, I get the deflection technique, but isn’t it, like, your job to think about things like that? Aren’t you being paid (an insane) $4 million per season to think about things like that?
Now that I’ve got that out of my system, I’ll say: I continue to hope that Piniella will seriously consider a leadoff platoon. Kosuke Fukudome hits righties so much better than Ryan Theriot. Ryan Theriot hits lefties so much better than Kosuke Fukudome. Look, I get wanting consistency of role, but in this case, the splits are so stark and clear that I struggle coming up with reasons to do anything other than a flip/flop of Fukudome and Theriot based on who is on the mound.
ShareSpring Training Participants
Here’s a helpful recap of the players participating in Spring Training with the Chicago Cubs this year - pitchers and catchers report this week. Thanks to Bruce Miles for putting this together.
Pitchers: Mitch Atkins, Justin Berg, Esmailin Caridad, Ryan Dempster, Rafael Dolis, John Gaub, Tom Gorzelanny, John Grabow, Jeff Gray, Angel Guzman, Ted Lilly, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, Marcos Mateo, Mike Parisi, Blake Parker, David Patton, Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Silva, Jeff Stevens, Randy Wells, Carlos Zambrano
Catchers: Welington Castillo, Koyie Hill, Geovany Soto
Infielders: Jeff Baker, Andres Blanco, Mike Fontenot, Micah Hoffpauir, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Ryan Theriot
Outfielders: James Adduci, Marlon Byrd, Tyler Colvin, Kosuke Fukudome, Sam Fuld, Xavier Nady, Alfonso Soriano
Nonroster invitees
Pitchers: Andrew Cashner, Casey Coleman, Thomas Diamond, Jeff Kennard, J.R. Mathes, Vince Perkins, James Russell
Catchers: Robinson Chirinos, Steve Clevenger, Chris Robinson
Infielders: Darwin Barney, Starlin Castro, Blake Lalli, Kevin Millar, Chad Tracy, Josh Vitters
Outfielders: Matt Camp, Brett Jackson, Bryan LaHair, Bobby Scales, Brad Snyder
Obvious player to watch: Starlin Castro
Dark-horse candidates to watch: Darwin Barney, Blake Parker
Pitching prospect to watch: Andrew Cashner
Annual Rule 5 pick: Mike Parisi
I’d also suggest watching John Gaub, a lefty with a chance to make the pen, Jeff Stevens, a righty with a chance to make the pen (received from the Indians, together with Gaub and another prospect for Mark DeRosa), and Casey Coleman - the Cubs’ minor league pitcher of the year last year, whom I think could have a very outside shot at landing the fifth spot in the Cubs rotation.
ShareWelcome to the Lead-Off Debate, Redux
For three years, the Chicago Cubs batting order has been a particularly contentious source of debate, with the placement of outfielder Alfonso Soriano dominating the discussion. He came to the team as a leadoff hitter - in name, anyway - but his performance has dictated that it simply isn’t for him anymore (if it ever was). Last year, the team turned to a variety of players to lead off, but predominantly it was Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome.
This year, the duo will once again be at the top of the order, but manager Lou Piniella has said only that they will be one and two. Which one actually leads off remains to be decided.
Although he only had 161 at-bats in the leadoff spot last, Fukudome led all National League leadoff men with a .404 on-base percentage. He hit only .269 there, but still drew 30 walks. Theriot hit .283 in 173 at-bats in the leadoff spot, with a .354 on-base percentage and 27 strikeouts with 18 walks.
But the Cubs’ lack of balance may force Piniella to bat Theriot first no matter what the numbers suggest. Batting one of only two left-handed hitting starters in the leadoff spot would give Piniella no balance whatsoever. Mike Fontenot would bat seventh if he starts at second, and if Jeff Baker plays second against some right-handers, Fukudome could be their only left-handed hitting position player.
“What are you gonna do?” Piniella said. “We tried to get left-handed. It didn’t (work). We’re just getting the best players we can, and that’s it.” Chicago Breaking Sports.
To me, the answer is so painfully obvious that it wouldn’t even bear discussion if it weren’t for Piniella’s tendencies to refuse to do the painfully obvious. When Fukudome is in the lineup, it is because there’s a righty on the mound. Fukudome sports a career .372 OBP against righties. Theriot’s career OBP against righties? .347. When Fukudome is out of the lineup, it is because there’s a lefty on the mound. Theriot’s career OBP against lefties? .386.
Does this really need more discussion? The answer as to which one leads off is: both of them.
ShareThe Cubs’ Offseason Sucked
Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman threw together a list of the eight most disappointing offseasons in Major League Baseball this year, and - no surprise - the Chicago Cubs made the cut. In fact they came in at number two behind only the New York Mets, who at least added a big bat in Jason Bay. High praise, this is not.
It’s never going to be a great winter when the big goal is to undo the biggest move of the winter before. They did finally get rid of Milton Bradley but had to take Carlos Silva, poster of an impossibly bad 8.60 ERA last year and one of the worst pitchers in baseball since signing for $48 million over four years, in return from Seattle. Marlon Byrd’s acquisition allows them to move Kosuke Fukudome to right field, where he’s excellent, although Byrd isn’t exactly a Gold Glover in center. John Grabow was overpaid at $7.5 mil for two years, and Xavier Nady seems similarly fortunate to get $3.3 million (plus $2 million in incentives) given that he didn’t play after April last year and needed a second Tommy John surgery. But the bigger issues were beyond their control. Ted Lilly’s injury could be a big blow, and Alfonso Soriano proved to be even more untradeable than [Luis] Castillo. No matter, they remain very talented and still have an excellent shot to get back to the playoffs. Jon Heyman - SI.com.
Although I don’t agree with his assessment of the Xavier Nady signing, which I regard as the team’s best move this offseason, and his comment that Alfonso Soriano “proved” untradeable seems strange given the Cubs never endeavored to trade him (did they?), Heyman is spot on in the rest.
Heyman didn’t even mention the fact that the 2010 Cubs are down one very good starting pitcher in Rich Harden.
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