Soriano to get rid of Hop

zack54attack

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Video on article page.. Thoughts?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0418-brite-cubs-astros-chicago--20100417,0,7276417.story

Alfonso Soriano vows his trademark hop when he catches the ball will be no more, just as he promised years ago to quit hopping at home plate after home runs.

That's what he said after Saturday's 4-3 Cubs loss to the Astros, another game in which Soriano heard both boos and cheers from the 40,471 fans at Wrigley Field. Though went 2-for-4 with a key eighth-inning RBI, he also made his third error, giving him three on the season.

"No, not hop," he said. "Just more concentration when I catch the ball and not do the hop.

"Sometimes when (I hop) I move my head. So I have to get routine fly balls, I have to make those plays."

The one he missed Saturday was definitely routine. It was a two-out soft line drive right at him in the fifth inning. But after taking a few steps in, the ball clanked off the edge of his glove for an error that turned out to be harmless as the next hitter was retired.

"I just take my eyes out of the glove before the catch," he said. "I have to be more relaxed."

Soriano appears so bothered by his defense that it has become a mental distraction, so getting him to relax may be difficult.

"We need Soriano to swing the bat, that's the whole key," manager Lou Piniella said. "We know he's not going to win the Gold Glove in the outfield. Make the routine plays and swing the bat and we're very, very happy."

And that, Soriano is doing, going 5-for-10 in the last three days to raise his average to .286, third among the everyday lineup.
 

USCChiFan

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I always liked that hop, but if it's hurting his porous defense, then something's gotta give. Like the article says, if he's over thinking about making simple plays he just has to relax and just and get the ball into the glove.
 

cubsjunkie

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I thought the hop was stupid. Thank goodness he's getting rid of it. Concentrate on baseball and not making a signature move for yourself.
 

beardown28

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I kinda wish we would get rid of him. Since he has come here he hasn't lived up to expectations. I'm sure injuries have had a lot to do with it but dropping fly balls because a wall is coming? Come on if you're getting paid 138 million, I want you to run through that wall for the ball. Now I know that we didn't really pay him to pay defense but man if we wanted someone who was going to strike out a lot, play bad defense, and not steal bases we could have signed Dunn for cheaper. I know Dunn strikes out way more.. That was more of an example of Sori not living up to the hype.
 

USCChiFan

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Dunn also walks more then Soriano
 

HurricaneDitka

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Give Colvin the job. Soriano can hop his way to the bench, spit out his sunflower seeds as he stares at the barrel of his strikeout bat. We could use Colvin's left-handed bat in the lineup on top of it.
 

beardown28

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Give Colvin the job. Soriano can hop his way to the bench, spit out his sunflower seeds as he stares at the barrel of his strikeout bat. We could use Colvin's left-handed bat in the lineup on top of it.

This has nothing to do with what you said haha but your name is my fantasy football teams name haha.
 

USCChiFan

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Give Colvin the job. Soriano can hop his way to the bench, spit out his sunflower seeds as he stares at the barrel of his strikeout bat. We could use Colvin's left-handed bat in the lineup on top of it.
Colvin hasn't shown much power, his plate discipline needs work, and he's only a rookie. Making him a regular just wouldn't be a smart idea. Jason Heyward is their starting RF because he has great plate discipline, power, a quick bat, and his defense is above average.
 

JayRock

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Getting rid of the hop midseason may create more problems then it will solve.
 

HurricaneDitka

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It's the National League guys where baseball purists have to cling to glove and bat. When it comes to the hop, the issue is defense, not offense. When it boils down to defense I would rather have Bartman in LF than Soriano. Sure he can hit home runs, but I think that is trivial at this point after losing to the Astros! We need guys that will get on base, not hit home runs. The majority of Cubs runs are from homers. That might get you in the record books, but not the playoffs. I say it is perfectly fine to sit an aging premadonna for a rookie with potential. I would be happy with someone that can just catch the ball. The fact of the matter is that Soriano will win us games, but we will need to rely on the youth to build a decent franchise. We all know this is more of a building year than a legitimate run for the playoffs. This year we need players, not press.
 

CBPtOSU

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Dunn also walks more then Soriano

He's one of the most disciplined hitters in the game. He walks more than a lot of players. Hendry should have signed him instead of Hasbro
 

CubbieBlue

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Well I think whatever is going to make him a much more solid defender is what he should go with. Has the hop helped? Probably in some instances. If it makes him concentrate a little more than he should stick with it. Although in that same instance I agree with what Lou said in that it makes your head move and the ball to hop around in the air from your eyes adjusting. I can handle a few errors from him, it's his offense I am worried about.
 

FedEx227

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I kinda wish we would get rid of him. Since he has come here he hasn't lived up to expectations. I'm sure injuries have had a lot to do with it but dropping fly balls because a wall is coming? Come on if you're getting paid 138 million, I want you to run through that wall for the ball. Now I know that we didn't really pay him to pay defense but man if we wanted someone who was going to strike out a lot, play bad defense, and not steal bases we could have signed Dunn for cheaper. I know Dunn strikes out way more.. That was more of an example of Sori not living up to the hype.

Good luck finding someone to take 5 years at $18 million per (that's $90 million for those counting at home) for an aging, oft-injured DH who can't hit breaking balls.
 
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USCChiFan

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He's one of the most disciplined hitters in the game. He walks more than a lot of players. Hendry should have signed him instead of Hasbro
Dunn in RF would be a complete disaster. A Soriano-Fukudome-Dunn OF would easily be the worst defensively in baseball.
 

Lefty

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Dunn in RF would be a complete disaster. A Soriano-Fukudome-Dunn OF would easily be the worst defensively in baseball.

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Dunn's near-.400 OBP and 40+ HR's would more than make up for his defensive shortcomings.
 

CBPtOSU

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Yeah, but I'm pretty sure Dunn's near-.400 OBP and 40+ HR's would more than make up for his defensive shortcomings.

Fuck yes. I don't want to hear this crap about defense. It's overblown. Even the worst defensive players cost their teams 20 runs over a replacement player. BFD. Adam Dunn more than makes up for his shortcomings with the bat. And if you are so concerned about Soriano and Dunn in the OF, move Soriano back to 2B
 

USCChiFan

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Fuck yes. I don't want to hear this crap about defense. It's overblown. Even the worst defensive players cost their teams 20 runs over a replacement player. BFD. Adam Dunn more than makes up for his shortcomings with the bat. And if you are so concerned about Soriano and Dunn in the OF, move Soriano back to 2B
Moving Soriano to 2nd and putting Dunn in the OF would just make the Cubs even worse defensively. There's a reason why the Nationals were one of the few teams interested in him, it's because if you play him in the Outfield or at 1st, his defense is gonna be absolutely terrible. He can hit, but he costs your team a ton of runs wherever he plays. He's a bonafide DH, and he's never played in the AL.
 

CBPtOSU

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Moving Soriano to 2nd and putting Dunn in the OF would just make the Cubs even worse defensively. There's a reason why the Nationals were one of the few teams interested in him, it's because if you play him in the Outfield or at 1st, his defense is gonna be absolutely terrible. He can hit, but he costs your team a ton of runs wherever he plays. He's a bonafide DH, and he's never played in the AL.

Uhm, he played for the Yankees and Rangers. And when he joined the Nationals, he refused to play OF, and he only played because they were going to put him on the disqualified list, which not only would cost him his salary, but service time as well
 

CubbieBlue

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Why are we even talking about Dunn? Regardless Dunn is just as bad defensively and if Soriano can ever return to form he is just as good as Dunn with the stick.
 

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