| Alfonso Soriano | |
|---|---|
 Soriano with the New York Yankees in 2013 | |
| Left fielder /Second baseman | |
| Born: (1976-01-07)January 7, 1976 (age 49) San Pedro de Macorís,Dominican Republic | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| NPB: August 5, 1997, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |
| MLB: September 14, 1999, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last appearance | |
| NPB: August 17, 1997, for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp | |
| MLB: July 5, 2014, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .270 |
| Hits | 2,095 |
| Home runs | 412 |
| Runs batted in | 1,159 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Alfonso Guilleard Soriano (born January 7, 1976) is a Dominican-American former professionalbaseballleft fielder andsecond baseman. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theNew York Yankees,Texas Rangers,Washington Nationals, andChicago Cubs, and inNippon Professional Baseball for theHiroshima Toyo Carp.
Soriano began his professional career with Hiroshima in 1996, but signed with the Yankees as a free agent in 1998 and was assigned to play inminor league baseball. The next year, he was theMost Valuable Player (MVP) in theAll-Star Futures Game, and made his MLB debut for the Yankees, with whom he would win two American League championships. The Yankees traded Soriano to the Rangers after the 2003 season, and the Rangers traded Soriano to the Nationals after the 2005 season. He signed a contract as a free agent with the Cubs before the 2007 season. The Cubs traded Soriano to the Yankees in 2013, and the Yankees released him in 2014.
Soriano was a seven-timeMLB All-Star, and won theAll-Star Game MVP Award in 2004. He won theSilver Slugger Award four times. He is one of only six players in the40–40 club, achieving the feat in 2006. He played primarily as asecond baseman for the Yankees and Rangers before being converted to an outfielder with the Nationals. Soriano is one of only 58 major league players to hit 400 or more career home runs, and was seventh among active players in home runs at the time of his retirement.
Soriano began his professional baseball career in Japan with theHiroshima Toyo Carp, training at their Carp Academy forDominican players. Soriano spent 1996 playing in Japan in the minorWestern League.[1] In 1997, he was promoted to thevarsity team, and, wearinguniform number 74, he appeared in nine games, batting .118 (2 for 17) with twowalks.[2]
Soriano disliked the intense Japanese practice schedule, and the Carp denied him a salary increase from $45,000 to $180,000 per year.[3] LikeHideo Nomo andHideki Irabu, who had previously left Japan to play in the United States, Soriano hired sports agentDon Nomura to help his situation. After first attempting to void Soriano'sNippon Professional Baseball (NPB) contract by unsuccessfully arguing that the player was legally a minor when he signed it, Nomura advised him, like Nomo, to retire from NPB and pursue a career in MLB. This prompted Carp executives to file aninjunction against Soriano, and to send letters to MLB teams demanding that they cease all negotiations with him. After the Nomo case, NPB officials had amended the Working Agreement without consulting any MLB officials in an attempt to prevent the situation from recurring. Since MLB had not agreed to any changes to the agreement,MLB CommissionerBud Selig declared that MLB would recognize Soriano as a free agent on July 13, 1998 and the Carp backed down.[4]
Soriano signed as afree agent with theNew York Yankees in 1998,[3] starting hiscareer as an infielder, first as a third baseman, and then moving over to second base. Soriano was named to theAll-Star Futures Game in 1999. He won the game'smost valuable player award after hitting twohome runs in the contest.[5]
He played in New York for five seasons. His first hit in MLB came in 1999 when he hit a game-winning home run againstNorm Charlton of theTampa Bay Devil Rays. He finished in third place for Rookie of the Year honors in 2001. In theWorld Series that year, he hit the go-ahead home run offArizona Diamondbacks pitcherCurt Schilling in the seventh game, but Arizona won anyway whenLuis Gonzalez hit his series-winning single on a cut fastball by closerMariano Rivera.
In 2002, Soriano became the second Yankee in franchise history to record 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season (the first beingBobby Bonds in 1975), then repeated the feat in 2003. Also in 2002, he led theAmerican League with 696at bats, 209hits, 92 extra base hits, 41stolen bases, 128runs and set a Yankees' team record for most at bats (696) and moststrikeouts (157) in aseason.
In 2003, Soriano set the record for mosthome runs to lead off a game in a season with 13, and for the second straight year, led the league in at bats, and finished in the top five for base hits, doubles, home runs, stolen bases, and strikeouts. In 2003 he again led the major leagues inpower-speed number (36.4).[6]
In 2004, the Yankees traded Soriano to theTexas Rangers, along withminor leaguerJoaquin Árias forAlex Rodriguez and cash amounting to $67 million of the $179 million remaining on Rodríguez' contract.[7][8]
On May 8, 2004, Soriano had six hits in nine innings—the first Texas Ranger to do so—in a 16–15, 10-inning victory over theDetroit Tigers. The game featured an hour-long fifth inning, where Detroit scored eight runs in the top half of the inning to take a ten-run lead over the Rangers, only to see Texas score ten runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game, the largest deficit ever overcome by the Rangers and tying an MLB record for most runs in an inning by two teams.[9] That same year, Soriano was elected to theAll-Star Game as the starting second baseman. He hit a three-run home run offRoger Clemens in the first inning and was named theMVP of the game.[10]
In 2005, he finished sixth in the AL for stolen bases, and third for extra base hits (as well as eighth in strikeouts). He led the major leagues inpower-speed number (32.7).[6]
On December 7, 2005, Soriano was traded to theWashington Nationals in exchange forBrad Wilkerson,Terrmel Sledge, and minor league pitcherArmando Galarraga.[11] On February 10, 2006, Soriano set a record for the highest salary ever awarded inarbitration, receiving $10 million, even though he lost his request of $12 million.[12] The previous high had been set in 2001 byAndruw Jones of theAtlanta Braves when he earned $8.2 million. The Nationals offered Soriano a five-year, $50-million extension, but Soriano rejected the offer.[13] Soriano and his agent Diego Bentz instead opted to open contract negotiations during the off-season, so that he would become afree agent.
On March 20, 2006, Nationals managerFrank Robinson inserted Soriano in thelineup as the left fielder. Soriano, who since 2001 had played exclusively at second base, refused to take the field, and the Nationals organization threatened him with disqualification, which would have meant forfeiture of his salary, and he would not have received credit for service time in fulfillment of the obligations of his contract. With his contract's service terms officially still unfulfilled, he would then have been ineligible for free agency at season's end.[14] Two days later, Soriano relented and played in left field for the Nationals in their exhibition game against theSt. Louis Cardinals. Robinson indicated that he considered Soriano's move to left field to be permanent and would not consider moving Soriano back to second base at any point during the season. In his comments following that game, Soriano indicated that he would accept his new position without further argument. As the season got underway, Soriano began to enjoy his new position, and by the All-Star break he led the league in outfield assists.[citation needed] Soriano made his fifth consecutive All-Star team and became only the third man to start All-Star games for both leagues at two different positions.
On August 25, a week after reaching 30–30, he became the fastest man in baseball history to reach 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases, reaching the mark in 929 games (breaking the previous record of 1,053 games held byEric Davis).[15]
In September, he completed his 20th outfield assist, becoming the only player in baseball history with 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 20 assists.[16]
On September 16, Soriano stole second base in the first inning to become the fourth player to join the40–40 club, afterJose Canseco,Barry Bonds, andAlex Rodriguez. Many considered Soriano's 40–40 season to be the only one "clean", as Canseco, Bonds and Rodriguez were all involved in thesteroid controversy. Soriano was also the only one of the four to reach the feat while playing at home. Six days later, he became the first player to reach 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases and 40 doubles in one season.[17]
Soriano set a new career high inwalks with 67 (previously 38). He also reached a career high in home runs with 46 (previously 39). He also led the National League in extra-base hits (89) and the major leagues inpower-speed number (43.36), the latter of which was the second-highest single season career mark ever untilRonald Acuna Jr. set a new record in 2023.[18]
The Nationals considered trading Soriano before the deadline on July 31, because he was in the last year of his contract, which would grant him free agency at the end of the season. If the Nationals lost Soriano at the end of the season, they would receive a first- or second-round draft pick from the team that signed him and a "sandwich" pick between the first and second rounds as compensation. Soriano did not want to engage in contract negotiations during the season. However, Soriano expressed his strong desire to stay with the team.[19] Both fans and players began to be more vocal in their support to keep Soriano. ManagerFrank Robinson praised Soriano's leadership in the clubhouse, and further suggested that Soriano should be considered forMVP of theNational League. There were plenty of suitors, including sending Soriano back to the Yankees, and the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers were also interested. However, Nationals general managerJim Bowden felt that what he was offered was not worth trading him.[20] The Nationals hoped to sign him to a long-term deal before the season ended but on October 12, 2006 he rejected a $70 million deal.[21]
TheChicago Cubs signed Soriano to an eight-year contract worth nearly $136 million.[22] The contract marked the most expensive deal in the Cubs' franchise history at the time and went through 2014.[22] It contained a no-trade clause, meaning Soriano could not be traded without his consent. The Cubs' manager, Lou Piniella, assigned Soriano to playcenter field,[23] but later moved him toleft field after he sustained ahamstring injury.[24] He struggled during the first month of the season, during which he posted a .270batting average, with nohome runs.[25] He managed to hit his first home run during the Cubs' first game in May, and gradually increased his batting average throughout the month.[25]
Soriano was extremely productive in June. In a game against theAtlanta Braves, Soriano hit three home runs offLance Cormier.[26] Soriano had accomplished the same feat in his past, coincidentally, also against theAtlanta Braves.[27] Soriano also played an integral part in the Cubs' offense during the team's annualCross-town Classic with theChicago White Sox atUS Cellular Field. He hit home runs in three consecutive games.[28]
His efforts merited theNational League's Player of the Month title for June.[29] He was later selected as a reserve outfielder in the2007 MLB All-Star Game,[30] where he hit a two-run home run for theNational League in the bottom of the ninth inning.[31] Soriano led the Cubs in home runs during theirNational League Central chase in June and July, during which they erased theMilwaukee Brewers' eight game lead over the division.[32] After losing the tie for first in early August, Soriano tore his rightquadriceps during a game against theNew York Mets on August 5.[33] The Cubs placed him on the fifteen-day disabled list, and expected him to miss several weeks while recovering from the injury.[33]
The Cubs usedMatt Murton, who had been recalled from the Triple-AIowa Cubs, in left field.[34] He began to show signs of improvement around on August 21, when he was seen running and working out with trainers.[35] Soriano stated he felt healthy enough to return in a few days,[35] but made his actual return on August 28, 2007.[36] Upon his return, Soriano proceeded to have the most productive September in the franchise's history. He hit fourteen home runs, twenty-sevenruns batted in, and recorded a .320 batting average within twenty-nine games. Soriano said upon his return from the quad injury that he had also been suffering from wrist injuries and the time off to heal his leg also helped his wrists.[37] The Cubs went on to win theNational League Central Division, but were swept by theArizona Diamondbacks in theNational League Division Series. Soriano finished the season with thirty-three home runs (including eleven lead-off home runs), seventyruns batted in, and a .299batting average.[25] He led the Cubs in home runs,triples, runs,strikeouts, andSlugging percentage, among all regular starters.[38]
During the first few weeks of the 2008 season with the Cubs, Soriano struggled. He was only hitting .190 at the time he was put on theDL with a strained calf. After being activated, Soriano got off to a quick start, raising his average to .280 and increasing his home run total. In a one-week stretch in May, he hit 7 home runs in just 6 games, hitting nearly .500 during that stretch. At the end of May he had 12 home runs and 33 RBIs. However, his defense was extremely poor, and after being placed on the DL early in the season, Soriano was encouraged to stop hopping as he caught fly balls.[39] This seemed to affect his play in the field as he misjudged two balls in St. Louis on May 2, shortly after being activated. After being severely booed by Cub fans who had traveled to St. Louis in that particular game,[40] he homered in the ninth to send the game to extra innings.[41] Later that month, he lost a ball in the sun and dropped what would have been the game's final out in the 9th inning against thePittsburgh Pirates, allowingJason Bay to reach safely and eventually costing the Cubs a win.[42]
On June 11, 2008, Soriano was hit by a pitch and broke a bone just under thering finger in his left hand.[43] On July 7, 2008, Soriano was voted a starter in the2008 MLB All-Star Game. However, due to the injury, he was replaced in the starting lineup byMatt Holliday of theColorado Rockies.[44]
As poor as Alfonso's defense was perceived to be, his arm had been just as much an asset to the Cubs, and he was one of the league's leaders in outfield assists. Soriano also led the team in home runs, despite having played in only 109 games. On August 22, Soriano accomplished one of baseball's rarest feats, as he stole home plate in a loss to his old team, the Washington Nationals.[45]
In early September, Soriano helped end the Cubs six-game losing streak by slugging out three home runs with five RBI against theCincinnati Reds. It marked the third three-home run game of his career. However, as the Cubs went into the playoffs against theLos Angeles Dodgers, Soriano, like nearly everyone else on the team, hit poorly in the NLDS.
Soriano had an embarrassing moment in a day-night double header on Wednesday, August 13, 2008, where he hit a long ball which he thought was a home run. He watched it, and slowly trotted down to 1st, yet the ball never left the park. He wound up with only a single. Between games, he apologized to his team and promised that it would never happen again.
Soriano had gotten off to a quick start, hitting a solo home run in his first at bat of the 2009 season.[46]Soriano also hit a game-tying solo home run offLaTroy Hawkins in the 8th inning in the second game of the young season. On April 11, Soriano hit a 2-run home run off ofCarlos Villanueva in the top of the ninth giving the Cubs a 6 to 5 victory over rival Milwaukee. Comcast Sportsnet awarded Soriano with "Play of the Day".[47] Soriano homered again, the very next day, on the first pitch he saw fromJeff Suppan, his 51st lead-off home run. On April 17 with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Soriano hit a two-run home run to give the Cubs an 8–7 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals.[48] However, Soriano only hit .216 in the month of May.[49]
In voting for the 2009 All-Star Game, Soriano was fourth among NL outfielders (2,692,994 votes), trailingRyan Braun (4,138,559),Raúl Ibañez (4,053,355), andCarlos Beltrán (2,812,295).[50]
Shortly before the All-Star break, manager Lou Piniella dropped Soriano in the batting order and made it clear that it was not a temporary change. For the first time in his career, Soriano seemed to accept not being a leadoff hitter and actually praised his manager for making the necessary decision, citing the fact that "I'm not doing my job."
The batting order change helped Soriano. In the first series after the All-Star break, he hit two go-ahead home runs against theNationals. On July 27, he hit awalk-off grand slam against theHouston Astros during the 13th inning.
In September 2009, Soriano underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.[51]
In 2009, Soriano led all major league left fielders in errors, with 11, and had the lowest fielding percentage among them (.950).[52]
After a poor season in 2009, Soriano was placed permanently in the 6th spot in the Cubs lineup, where he rebounded nicely, by playing in the most games(147 games) that season for the Cubs. He also collected 40 doubles, and 79 RBIs. On June 11, 2010, Soriano hit his 300th home run off ofJake Peavy. In 2010, on defense he led major league left fielders in errors, with 7, and had the lowest fielding percentage, at .968.[53]
In 2011, Soriano had a less than stellar year on defense and led in errors by a left fielder, with 7, and had the lowest fielding percentage, at .965.[54] He batted .244, drove in 88 runs, and hit 26 home runs.[55]
2012 was Soriano's best year in some time, hitting 32 home runs, his best batting average in years (.262) and his personal best for RBIs (108), which ranked third in the National League.[56]
In the field, he made only one error, which was also Soriano's personal best on the field.
Soriano started the 2013 season with the Cubs by playing 93 games with a .254 average, 17 home runs, and 51 RBI. Soriano's batting average and home run production for the Cubs was especially strong in June and July, making him a hot commodity as the trading deadline approached.
On July 26, 2013, the Cubs traded Soriano to the New York Yankees, who paid him $5 million prorated for 2013 and $5 million of the $18 million owed to him in 2014. The Cubs received pitcher Corey Black from theSingle-ATampa Yankees.[57] On August 11, 2013, Soriano recorded his 2,000th career hit, a home run off ofDetroit Tigers pitcherJustin Verlander.[58]
On August 13, 2013, Soriano hit two home runs and had a career-high six RBIs. The next day, he broke his career high set the previous day by driving in seven runs. He became one of only three players in thelive-ball era to drive in at least six runs in back-to-back games (the other two beingRusty Greer in 1997 andGeoff Jenkins in 2001). He also became just one of seven players to record 13 RBI in a two-game span, and fell just two RBI short of the all-time record set by former YankeeTony Lazzeri.[59]
From August 13 to 16, Sorianobatted in 18 runs over four games, tying the Major League record for most RBI in four consecutive games. Soriano also recorded 13 hits during this stretch, becoming the only player in MLB history with 18 RBI and at least 12 hits in a four-game stretch. The other players who have recorded 18 RBI in four games areJim Bottomley (St. Louis Cardinals, July 6–9, 1929),Lou Gehrig (New York Yankees, July 29–31, 1930),Tony Lazzeri (New York Yankees, May 21–24, 1936),Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees, August 28—September 1, 1939), andSammy Sosa (Chicago Cubs, August 8–11, 2002).[60] Soriano was named theAL Player of the Week for August 12–18.[61]
On August 27, Soriano hit two home runs, the second of which was the 400th of his career.[62] For the rest of the 2013 season with the Yankees, Soriano played 58 games batting .256 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI. Overall in 2013, combined with the two teams, Soriano played 151 total games batting .255 with 34 home runs and 101 RBI.[63]
With the signings ofCarlos Beltrán andJacoby Ellsbury, Soriano started the 2014 season as the designated hitter and sometimes played at right field. His playing time became limited as he struggled at the plate. Soriano wasdesignated for assignment by the Yankees on July 6, 2014.[64][65] He was released on July 14.[66] In 67 games, Soriano batted .221 with 6 home runs and 23 RBI.
Soriano announced his retirement on November 4, 2014. He stated:
"I've lost the love and passion to play the game. Right now, my family is the most important thing. Although I consider myself in great shape, my mind is not focused on baseball."[67]
Soriano's 412 career home runs put him in 53rd place on the all-time list at the time of his retirement.[67]
Soriano led all major league second basemen in errors every year from 2001 to 2005 (19 (tied), 23, 19, 23, and 21). In 2006, he was second in the major leagues of all left fielders in errors, with 11, but led all left fielders with 22 assists, 9 double plays, and a 2.29range factor.
| Games | GS | INN | TC | PO | A | E | DP | RF | FPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,796 | 1,775 | 15,400.2 | 5,668 | 3,311 | 2,191 | 166 | 504 | 3.22 | .971 |
Soriano's paternal family, the Guilleards, are ofHaitian descent.[68][69] His mother, Doña Andrea Soriano, is the sister of Hilario Soriano, a former catcher for theTigres del Licey baseball team.[68]
Soriano and his wife, Carmen Isis Eusebio, have three daughters (Alisis, Angeline, and Alisha) and three sons (Allen, Angel, and Alfonso Jr.).[70]
· Baseball Almanac| Preceded by | American League Player of the Month April, 2003 September, 2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month June 2007 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
