Soriano feels mistreated....

[davearm2]

Seems like a convenient excuse for a(nother) crappy season.

 

It's not like the guy prepares differently based on where he bats in the lineup, or that he's facing different pitches, or anything else that could reasonably be challenging to adjust to.

[UMFan83]

I'm late to this Soriano hate thread. Did anyone make the "Yeah well I feel mistreated by Soriano" joke already?

[Sammy Sofa]

Seems like a convenient excuse for a(nother) crappy season.

 

It's not like the guy prepares differently based on where he bats in the lineup, or that he's facing different pitches, or anything else that could reasonably be challenging to adjust to.

 

Well, the bold part simply isn't true. A hitter can easily see different pitches from lineup spot to the next based on who they're hitting in front of.

[davearm2]

Seems like a convenient excuse for a(nother) crappy season.

 

It's not like the guy prepares differently based on where he bats in the lineup, or that he's facing different pitches, or anything else that could reasonably be challenging to adjust to.

 

Well, the bold part simply isn't true. A hitter can easily see different pitches from lineup spot to the next based on who they're hitting in front of.

In this case the effect is going to be negligible. It's not like Soriano alternated between hitting in front of Pujols and Theriot. He had mediocre hitters behind him in every situation.

[Sammy Sofa]

Seems like a convenient excuse for a(nother) crappy season.

 

It's not like the guy prepares differently based on where he bats in the lineup, or that he's facing different pitches, or anything else that could reasonably be challenging to adjust to.

 

Well, the bold part simply isn't true. A hitter can easily see different pitches from lineup spot to the next based on who they're hitting in front of.

In this case the effect is going to be negligible. It's not like Soriano alternated between hitting in front of Pujols and Theriot. He had mediocre hitters behind him in every situation.

 

I'm not arguing that it necessarily did have an effect on him. I wasn't sure if you were saying that specifically in regards to Soriano or in general.

[davearm2]

Seems like a convenient excuse for a(nother) crappy season.

 

It's not like the guy prepares differently based on where he bats in the lineup, or that he's facing different pitches, or anything else that could reasonably be challenging to adjust to.

 

Well, the bold part simply isn't true. A hitter can easily see different pitches from lineup spot to the next based on who they're hitting in front of.

In this case the effect is going to be negligible. It's not like Soriano alternated between hitting in front of Pujols and Theriot. He had mediocre hitters behind him in every situation.

 

I'm not arguing that it necessarily did have an effect on him. I wasn't sure if you were saying that specifically in regards to Soriano or in general.

You're arguing that *something* had an effect on him. What?

[Sammy Sofa]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

[KingCubsFan]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

80% of his at bats have come from hitting either 6th or 7th, and they're fairly evenly distributed (although he's hit 7th more). It's similar for Aramis hitting 3rd or 4th, yet he's never complained about it. This isn't a case of Soriano being shuffled between leadoff and the middle of the order (like a few years ago) or in and out of the lineup. Basically, he comes to the park every day, and he's in the lineup either hitting 6th or 7th, which isn't a big deal. I've never heard of a player saying their mentality is entirely different hitting 6th vs. 7th, as they do when talking about hitting leadoff vs. middle of the order. And even if this does affect affect him mentally, it likely has more to do with the fact that he's no longer a focal point of the offense, as he has been his entire career.

[davearm2]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

[Sammy Sofa]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

80% of his at bats have come from hitting either 6th or 7th, and they're fairly evenly distributed (although he's hit 7th more). It's similar for Aramis hitting 3rd or 4th, yet he's never complained about it. This isn't a case of Soriano being shuffled between leadoff and the middle of the order (like a few years ago) or in and out of the lineup. Basically, he comes to the park every day, and he's in the lineup either hitting 6th or 7th, which isn't a big deal. I've never heard of a player saying their mentality is entirely different hitting 6th vs. 7th, as they do when talking about hitting leadoff vs. middle of the order. And even if this does affect affect him mentally, it likely has more to do with the fact that he's no longer a focal point of the offense, as he has been his entire career.

 

I'd argue it's pretty different from shuffling a guy between 3rd and 4th, but that's besides the point. I've also stated I don't think the issue is between batting 6th or 7th. I think the issue, in Soriano's head, is that he was still given a relatively significant amount of time hitting 5th and then shuffled back to 7th numerous times this season. I think this is fallout from having a manager making crappy lineups.

[Sammy Sofa]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

 

You're challenging me on points I'm not making, so please stop trying to goad me into fights I'm not starting. I've stated numerous times now that this is likely primarily a "head" issue and indicative of the mess that Quade has made out of the lineups.

[CubColtPacer]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

 

You're challenging me on points I'm not making, so please stop trying to goad me into fights I'm not starting. I've stated numerous times now that this is likely primarily a "head" issue and indicative of the mess that Quade has made out of the lineups.

 

Moving Soriano between 5th, 6th, and 7th is not an example of Quade messing up the lineup. As I stated last page, no MLB player this season has started even 80 games in the 6th spot or the 7th spot. Every player in those spots has to get used to hitting 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th in the AL. It's unreasonable for Soriano to believe he should get to stay in one spot when nobody in MLB in that part of the batting order has gotten to stick in one spot.

[YearofDaCubs]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

 

You're challenging me on points I'm not making, so please stop trying to goad me into fights I'm not starting. I've stated numerous times now that this is likely primarily a "head" issue and indicative of the mess that Quade has made out of the lineups.

oh lord..Stop trying to make excuses for an over the hill player. I fully expect Soriano's numbers to be even worse next year.

[Sammy Sofa]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

 

You're challenging me on points I'm not making, so please stop trying to goad me into fights I'm not starting. I've stated numerous times now that this is likely primarily a "head" issue and indicative of the mess that Quade has made out of the lineups.

oh lord..Stop trying to make excuses for an over the hill player. I fully expect Soriano's numbers to be even worse next year.

 

The only thing I'm "making excuses" for is what he he's saying in the article. As for his ability I said this:

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

 

My point to you when I said "Oh Lord" was how you just want him cut when they already have the huge question of what to do with RF. Worse comes to worse they can still platoon Soriano in RF so that he's mostly facing LH pitchers. Now is not the time to cut him just because of some stupid article. The other part was your blanket statement of how it's always a bad idea to sign "30+ year old's to long contracts." The Cubs foolishly overpaying for Alfonso Sorinao doesn't mean that any FA 30 and up is going to play out the same way.

[Sammy Sofa]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

 

You're challenging me on points I'm not making, so please stop trying to goad me into fights I'm not starting. I've stated numerous times now that this is likely primarily a "head" issue and indicative of the mess that Quade has made out of the lineups.

 

Moving Soriano between 5th, 6th, and 7th is not an example of Quade messing up the lineup. As I stated last page, no MLB player this season has started even 80 games in the 6th spot or the 7th spot. Every player in those spots has to get used to hitting 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th in the AL. It's unreasonable for Soriano to believe he should get to stay in one spot when nobody in MLB in that part of the batting order has gotten to stick in one spot.

 

I'm not saying he definitely should have only hit in one spot. Personally, I think players who typically hit 6 and below shouldn't be hitting in the 1-5 spots except when necessary. And how does the lineup construction of this season somehow become a hard and fast rule? OK, so no player started more than 80 games from those spots. Last season Soriano started 105 games hitting 6th. So which is "right?"

[CubColtPacer]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

 

You're challenging me on points I'm not making, so please stop trying to goad me into fights I'm not starting. I've stated numerous times now that this is likely primarily a "head" issue and indicative of the mess that Quade has made out of the lineups.

 

Moving Soriano between 5th, 6th, and 7th is not an example of Quade messing up the lineup. As I stated last page, no MLB player this season has started even 80 games in the 6th spot or the 7th spot. Every player in those spots has to get used to hitting 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th in the AL. It's unreasonable for Soriano to believe he should get to stay in one spot when nobody in MLB in that part of the batting order has gotten to stick in one spot.

 

I'm not saying he definitely should have only hit in one spot. Personally, I think players who typically hit 6 and below shouldn't be hitting in the 1-5 spots except when necessary. And how does the lineup construction of this season somehow become a hard and fast rule? OK, so no player started more than 80 games from those spots. Last season Soriano started 105 games hitting 6th. So which is "right?"

 

Neither is right per se. That's the point. Occasionally you'll find a team stable enough to start a player in the 6 or 7 spot most of the time, but not often. Last year there were 4 players (Soriano started the most games of any player in the league in either of those two spots). Players shouldn't expect to be able to stay in one spot. The fact that Soriano didn't get that privilege this year isn't a sign of Cubs bad management but just the reality of that part of the batting order.

[davearm2]

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

 

You're challenging me on points I'm not making, so please stop trying to goad me into fights I'm not starting. I've stated numerous times now that this is likely primarily a "head" issue and indicative of the mess that Quade has made out of the lineups.

I'm challenging you to provide any sort of concrete rationale for this statement:

 

"almost any player, regardless of ability or skillset, is going to struggle in at least one spot if they're being bounced across at least 3 spots in the lineups for significant PA"

 

I haven't been able to come up with anything myself, and you've given us none, either.

[YearofDaCubs]

Being moved around the lineup as much as he was. I don't know the exact why's as to each player, but as I've said, I'm confident that being moved around that much would effect nearly any player. I think a large part of it is psychological/mental/whatever in regards to how it speaks to how poorly the team is being run. Quade's lineup management in general has been absurdly bad. I'm not expecting him to run out there with the exact same lineup every day, but even adjusting for injuries, days off and favorable matchups he is downright schizophrenic when it comes to constructing a lineup. I hope Fred sees this, because I remember him posting some depressingly hilarious stats about how many unique lineups Quade has used over the course of the season.

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

 

You're challenging me on points I'm not making, so please stop trying to goad me into fights I'm not starting. I've stated numerous times now that this is likely primarily a "head" issue and indicative of the mess that Quade has made out of the lineups.

oh lord..Stop trying to make excuses for an over the hill player. I fully expect Soriano's numbers to be even worse next year.

 

The only thing I'm "making excuses" for is what he he's saying in the article. As for his ability I said this:

 

That said, I'm not arguing that this was the main reason for Soriano's decline. That's mostly because of him being a flawed baseball player who is getting older. My point all along is that in a roundabout way he's "right" when he complains about the lineup switches.

 

My point to you when I said "Oh Lord" was how you just want him cut when they already have the huge question of what to do with RF. Worse comes to worse they can still platoon Soriano in RF so that he's mostly facing LH pitchers. Now is not the time to cut him just because of some stupid article. The other part was your blanket statement of how it's always a bad idea to sign "30+ year old's to long contracts." The Cubs foolishly overpaying for Alfonso Sorinao doesn't mean that any FA 30 and up is going to play out the same way.

I've wanted Soriano gone for a long time. Personally, I don't have anything against Soriano the person but I hate the player, I always have. He was paid very well by the Cubs to be a difference maker and he was that for 3 years but since that time he stopped running, never played a good defense, and has mental lapses during games. His numbers are only going to get worse and I'd rather take a chance on some AAAA player than have a guy like that on the team.

[Sammy Sofa]

No, what specifically about being moved around the lineup between 5 and 7 do you think causes a problem?

 

His pregame routine is the same, right?

The pitches he sees are basically the same, right?

His approach in any given AB is basically the same, right? (And if not, that would change much more as a function of game situation (score, inning, # outs, runners, etc) than lineup spot, and that effect would be there even if he hit in the same lineup spot all year long.)

 

So what specifically would make it so challenging to hit 5th one day, 7th the next, then 6th, etc? What's changing?

 

You're challenging me on points I'm not making, so please stop trying to goad me into fights I'm not starting. I've stated numerous times now that this is likely primarily a "head" issue and indicative of the mess that Quade has made out of the lineups.

I'm challenging you to provide any sort of concrete rationale for this statement:

 

"almost any player, regardless of ability or skillset, is going to struggle in at least one spot if they're being bounced across at least 3 spots in the lineups for significant PA"

 

I haven't been able to come up with anything myself, and you've given us none, either.

 

The rationale is that it's my opinion. I think that you start giving players significant PA across too many slots it starts to screw things up. That's primarily due to it likely being indicative of poor lineup/team construction, but I also think that with many players it plays a part mentally/psychologically/whatever. I'm not saying it's some kind of baseball fact.

[Sammy Sofa]

Neither is right per se. That's the point. Occasionally you'll find a team stable enough to start a player in the 6 or 7 spot most of the time, but not often. Last year there were 4 players (Soriano started the most games of any player in the league in either of those two spots). Players shouldn't expect to be able to stay in one spot. The fact that Soriano didn't get that privilege this year isn't a sign of Cubs bad management but just the reality of that part of the batting order.

 

Yet again, I'm not saying any player should just hit in one spot. I'm saying in this case he had too many PA spread across three spots. That's not saying a player can't do that, but I think with a lot of guys there is a threshold where it becomes too much. Like I said, I think this wouldn't have even come up if Soriano was bounced primarily between 6 and 7 with only a few PA hitting 5th, but instead he got enough where, to him, it seemed like too much variation and it weighed on him. Some guys seemingly can't deal with that, for whatever reason. That's why I don't think his complaint was outlandish, because it's not like he's demanding or insisting that he hit in a key spot. It's not like this is a guy who is going to automatically throw a tantrum if he's hitting lower in the lineup, as last year showed.

[Sammy Sofa]

I've wanted Soriano gone for a long time. Personally, I don't have anything against Soriano the person but I hate the player, I always have. He was paid very well by the Cubs to be a difference maker and he was that for 3 years but since that time he stopped running, never played a good defense, and has mental lapses during games. His numbers are only going to get worse and I'd rather take a chance on some AAAA player than have a guy like that on the team.

 

Ridiculous. You don't cut a guy who can still be useful just because you don't like him. He still put up a .271 .312 .500 .812 line against LH pitchers this year. Why not just platoon him?

[Guest]

Don't hate the player. Hate the guy who gave him the contract.

[jersey cubs fan]

Yet again, I'm not saying any player should just hit in one spot. I'm saying in this case he had too many PA spread across three spots. That's not saying a player can't do that, but I think with a lot of guys there is a threshold where it becomes too much.

 

I think that is a whole bunch of nonsense. Soriano is a bad baseball player in a mediocre lineup. He should expect to have to move around. In his case, the vast majority of his time has been in the 6th or 7th hole, which are virtually indistinguishable from a player's perspective. Being a 5/6/7 hitter isn't like he's going from 1/4/8. He just can't hit. No excuses about where in the order.

[YearofDaCubs]

I've wanted Soriano gone for a long time. Personally, I don't have anything against Soriano the person but I hate the player, I always have. He was paid very well by the Cubs to be a difference maker and he was that for 3 years but since that time he stopped running, never played a good defense, and has mental lapses during games. His numbers are only going to get worse and I'd rather take a chance on some AAAA player than have a guy like that on the team.

 

Ridiculous. You don't cut a guy who can still be useful just because you don't like him. He still put up a .271 .312 .500 .812 line against LH pitchers this year. Why not just platoon him?

If he's already complaining about batting 7th don't you think he's going to complain about being platooned? Also, though the numbers against lefties are slightly above average I fully expect his numbers to be even worse next year. I'd rather let Brett Jackson take up LF full-time or find a better replacement than have Soriano there against lefties and taking a roster spot to do so. That's my opinion of course.

[SouthSideRyan]

I've wanted Soriano gone for a long time. Personally, I don't have anything against Soriano the person but I hate the player, I always have. He was paid very well by the Cubs to be a difference maker and he was that for 3 years but since that time he stopped running, never played a good defense, and has mental lapses during games. His numbers are only going to get worse and I'd rather take a chance on some AAAA player than have a guy like that on the team.

 

Ridiculous. You don't cut a guy who can still be useful just because you don't like him. He still put up a .271 .312 .500 .812 line against LH pitchers this year. Why not just platoon him?

If he's already complaining about batting 7th don't you think he's going to complain about being platooned? Also, though the numbers against lefties are slightly above average I fully expect his numbers to be even worse next year. I'd rather let Brett Jackson take up LF full-time or find a better replacement than have Soriano there against lefties and taking a roster spot to do so. That's my opinion of course.

 

If Jackson is in LF and Soriano is cut to make you feel better, who is playing the other OF spot? Where is this better replacement coming from? Are we passing on Fielder/Pujols because we have to spend money on the OF to satisfy Soriano's bloodlust?