MLB Chicago CubsNew York Yankees

Alfonso Soriano Is the Most Underrated Player Of His Era

Fresh Videos

By @bradberreman24

Alfonso Soriano, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs

Brian Blanco-Getty Images

After hitting .221 with six home runs and 23 RBI over 226 at-bats with the New York Yankees this past season, and being released in July, Alfonso Soriano has decided to retire after a 16-year MLB career.

Soriano will finish with a career slash-line (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) of .270/.319/.500, along with 2,095 hits, 412 home runs, 1,159 RBI, 481 doubles and 289 stolen bases. Those numbers may not quite earn Soriano a lot of votes on the Hall of Fame ballot when his time comes, but he needs to be remembered as the most underrated player of his era, and perhaps one of the most under-appreciated players of any era.

The Yankees purchased Soriano from a Japanese team in 1998, and he surfaced in the big leagues for good in 2001 with a solid rookie season (.268, 18 home runs, 73 RBI and 43 stolen bases). He then became a bona fide star in 2002, when he hit .300 with 39 home runs, 102 RBI and 41 stolen bases in his first of seven straight All-Star seasons. 2003 was another terrific year for Soriano, as he hit .290 with 38 home runs, 91 RBI and 35 stolen bases, and that led to him being part of a trade that stands as the most notable event in Soriano’s career in the eyes of a lot of baseball fans.

Soriano was traded to the Texas Rangers, along with a player to be named later, in February of 2004 in exchange for third baseman Alex Rodriguez. His stay in Arlington lasted just two seasons, but Soriano had another 30-30 season (36 home runs and 30 stolen bases) in 2005 while also driving in more than 100 runs (104) that season.

Texas sent Soriano to the Washington Nationals in December of 2005, and his lone season in the nation’s capital was a resounding success. With 46 home runs and 41 stolen bases in 2006, Soriano became the fourth member of baseball’s 40/40 club, and the other three in that exclusive group (Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds and Rodriguez) have been tied to performance-enhancing drugs. Soriano, on the other hand, has not been tarnished in that way to this point.

Soriano signed an eight-year, $136 million deal with Chicago Cubs prior to the 2007 season, and he hit at least 20 home runs in all six of his full seasons with the team despite some ups and downs in other areas.

Soriano had one last hurrah of sorts in 2013, at age 37, hitting 34 home runs with 101 RBI and 18 stolen bases while splitting the season between the Cubs and the Yankees.  But this past season showed his best days were clearly behind him, and it made sense for the Yankees to attempt to get younger as they neared the end of a disappointing season.

Soriano was far from a great defensive player during his career, and without knowing exactly, I expect advanced defensive metrics to clearly back that up. But his versatility should still be noted, as he played a little shortstop and third base during his first two partial seasons with the Yankees before eventually sticking as a second baseman. During his time in the National League he played mostly left field, but Soriano also saw time in right field (26 games) and center field (12 games).

Toward the end of his years with the Cubs he effectively became a designated hitter stuck in the National League, and his offensive prowess diminished as his batting average and stolen base totals fell, but it’s rare to see a player of Soriano’s caliber not really ever be known at one defensive position.

The inflated value of Soriano’s contract with the Cubs, and his occasional misadventures in left field, made him a bit of a punch line at times as his career wound down. His home run late in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, off Curt Schilling no less, is an overlooked postseason moment and if not for Luis Gonzalez’s game-winning hit off Mariano Rivera, Soriano may have been the clutch hero fans remember from that game.

As I mentioned, unlike many of his peers, Soriano has not been tied to performance-enhancing drugs in recent years. His physical build never changed dramatically either, so until proven otherwise, we all should view Soriano’s career through a clear, non-steroid-tinted lense.

Soriano’s elite combination of speed and power during his prime is virtually unrivaled in baseball over the last 15-20 years, and he almost had two other 40/40 seasons (2002 and 2003). Three seasons in the rare air of 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases would make Soriano a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer once he is eligible, but as it sits now, his overall accumulation of numbers looks likely to leave him short of induction into Cooperstown.

I suppose a debate over Soriano’s Hall of Fame worthiness can start in earnest, with all the evaluations and comparisons that will surely continue to come now that his career is in the books. I’m not willing to take up Soriano’s Hall of Fame case in a substantial way, at least not yet, but when it comes to ranking the best players of the last decade or so, he stands to be overlooked and undervalued indefinitely.

A rare blown save for Rivera, being part of a blockbuster deal that involved Rodriguez and having a team willing to agree to a big contract are all things that were out of Soriano’s control. Any one of those things going a different way would have altered how Soriano is remembered fairly significantly, but Rodriguez’ recent fall from grace will hopefully bring new, positive attention to the guy he was traded for over a decade ago.

Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter or Google +.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on