JEFF'S CHICAGO SPORTS BLOG - SORIANO HAS ARRIVED!
A TRUE CHICAGO SPORTS BLOG, FROM A TRUE CHICAGO SPORTS FAN!
Alfonso Soriano - He might be worth the money the Cubs invested!
Well, it took a while to see the reasons the Cubs invested $136,000,000 over nine years in left fielder Alfonso Soriano. Soriano has brought his batting average to .326 and in Friday night's game versus the Atlanta Braves. He had four hits including three home runs to lead the Cubs past the Braves for the second straight day 9-1.
Soriano has at least one hit in every game played in June and has gone 19 for 37 in that stretch for a .514 batting average! He has scored 10 runs, hit six home runs, two triples and for a leadoff man has 9 RBI's in that span! He's ignited a Cubs offense that has scored 47 runs in the month of June. The Cubs only scored 119 runs in the entire month of May for an average of 4.4 runs per game. In June, the Cubs have averaged 5.9 runs per game while winning 5 of 8 games played with Soriano leading the way.
Since May 1st, Soriano has 22 extra-base hits including ten home runs, twenty RBI's, and six stolen bases. For the year, Soriano has a .568 slugging percentage and a .373 on base percentage!
Surprisingly for the year, Soriano has only eight stolen bases - look for that number to increase as long as he's not hitting the ball out of the park. He also has shown a pretty good arm in left field having six assists for the season and no errors.
$136,000,000 - that's a whole of cash! If Soriano continues to play like he has of late, however, then the Cubs will have made a wise investment! That's the way I see it!
Want to talk Chicago Sports? Drop me a line anytime! Whether it's the Bulls, the Bears, the Cubs, the Sox, the Blackhawks, or the Fire, I'd love to communicate, or commiserate, with you! JEFF ARDITO
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, The Dean's Team Chicago Sports Section
