It happened last season. It's happened already this season. Alfonso Soriano being injured is almost becoming a regular scene at the Friendly Confines.
Yes, the Cubs will be hurting a little without Soriano, but in the long run, the Cubs will not be affected by this unfortunate event.
The Cubs have won without Soriano before. In fact, the Cubs hit their first big roll of the season without Soriano. His presence was missed so little in his first DL trip this season, that Chicago columnists and Cubs fans alike were calling for his head.
With Soriano out again, the Cubs lineup will not be as good, but their season is far from doomed. The Cubs have a lineup full of players ready to perform.
Here's 10 reasons why the Cubs will be fine:
2) Reed Johnson has turned up big for the Cubs. Neither him or DeRosa have Soriano's power, but they are better defensive players and will get on base.
3) Matt Murton may finally have his chance to shine. Murton was moved up in Soriano's first DL trip. With six weeks to play, "The Big Murt" will have a chance to prove himself to the Cubs, or simply boost his trade value.
4) Jim Edmonds is looking like the Edmonds of old. He's getting on base, driving in runs, and his power is starting to increase. Not to mention his defense has not suffered at all with age.
5) To offset Soriano, the Cubs will need Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez to step up. Lee was on his big roll when Soriano went down the first time. He's due again. Ramirez has been solid all season and shows no sign of slowing down. It would be appalling to say both of them couldn't carry the load with a little help from the supporting cast.
6) Kosuke Fukudome is working the long ball, starting to hit home runs. He can hit 15-20 this season easily. If he stays consistent this season, there's little reason to doubt he can make up for Soriano.
7) Geovanny Soto was unexpected. Soto has 11 home runs this season. He's driving in runs at a scary pace too. He alone makes the Cubs offense far better than last season. It's an offense that was good with and without Soriano, who was basically not there in the playoffs.
8) Soriano should be back by August. Provided the Cubs can hold out for a few months without the power bat in the lineup, they will get Soriano back for the stretch run to the playoffs. If his return goes like it did the first time, he'll struggle for a bit, then be red hot by the time the playoffs actually come around.
9) The pitching has been solid. Chicago has been led by their pitching staff this year. Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster just can't lose. Ted Lilly is a having a typical Ted Lilly season. Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood have been outstanding in the bullpen. Scott Eyre is a surprise too. Never would have thought he and a long scoreless streak would go hand in hand.
10) Soriano going down is not like losing Lee. When Lee broke his wrist in 2006, the Cubs suffered. Why? Lee is a leader on the Cubs. He is one of the first ones on the field and last ones off. He gives 110% every game and is an all-around hitter. He hits for average, home runs, and steals about as many bases as Soriano does when given a chance. He's also a great fielder.
If you take Lee out of the lineup, you take out the Cubs' best hitter, best RBI man, and best fielder. If you take out Soriano, you take out a home run hitter, an off and on base stealer, and a liability when doing anything that involves running.
It wouldn't have been much longer until Soriano pulled up lame and missed another two weeks. At least he can't blame injury when he starts running terribly again. Just consider the hand injury as three more hamstring pulls.This just Means the Cubs should have a fresh-legged Soriano when he gets back.
And remember, unlike Lee, Soriano has a broken finger. A little easier to heal and come back from than a broken wrist.
5 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Kevin Koss about 1 year ago
A good article that brings up some good points.
As for Murton back in the line up, it'd be nice to give him a chance to prove himself again, after all whenever he gets steady playing time he seems to hit well enough. The problem has always been that the Cubs don't give him a chance to find his rhythm. Plus they seem to be big on Hoffpauir right now, so that is who I'm guessing gets the call.
Overall, like I said in my article today, I think the Cubs will weather the storm quite well and come back in good shape.
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Thomas Lourdeau about 1 year ago
Yeah, this isn't an issue like it was last year. The Cubs offense is going to be fine, as you said. My biggest concern is going to be who is going to hit leadoff, though it seems like putting Reed Johnson in that spot seems like the most obvious choice.
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Jerry Burnes about 1 year ago
Reed Johnson is a good choice at leadoff. Putting him though won't really disrupt the dynamics of the offense and keeps the dangerous part of that lineup (Theriot-Lee-Ramirez-Fukudome-Soto) intact. Following that Edmonds/Murton/Hoffpauir can hit 7, DeRo will still hit 8.
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Sam Wenk about 1 year ago
Jerry, awesome job, I agree with you 100% I thought of the impact D-Lee would have on the lineup if he were the one to get hurt and realized that of all the "stars" on this team, Soriano is the one they can get by without his every day production. I also forgot all about Murton, nice call!
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Jerry Burnes about 1 year ago
Hopefully the Cubs can convince themselves like earlier in the year that Soriano is replaceable, and keep winning. We might know he is, but this will be a defining portion of the Cubs' season. If they stay stubborn and win, they'll prove to be the team to beat. If they feed into the hype of Soriano going down, we might see a rough two, three, maybe even four weeks of Cubs baseball.
Just out of courtesy to Soriano, I'm going to predict about a week, week-and-a-half of tough and close games because he was one of the big bats, and was hitting well. But the pitching and remaining offense will keep us in games and get wins.
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