Alfonso Soriano has always loved to carry a big stick — literally. Earlier in his career, it seemed to work out perfectly. During his years with the Yankees, Rangers, and Nationals, Soriano flirted with the 40-homer mark almost every season. He’s had a couple of similar years with the Cubs, but things have not exactly worked out the way Chicago had planned when they signed the slugging outfielder back in 2007. Now that Soriano is getting toward the end of his career, Chicago manager Dale Sveum would like to see him give a smaller bat a try.
“The fact of the matter is fastballs are getting too deep,” Sveum said Sunday according to CSNChicago.com. “Whatever it is, it’s just a strange phenomenon right now that Edwin Maysonet has more home runs than Alfonso Soriano.
“There’s no question I’d like to see a much lighter bat. He has adjusted a little bit, but I think a really smaller, lighter bat would help a lot.”
Soriano is hitting .250 with 16 RBIs and has yet to homer. At age 36, it would only make sense that his strength and bat speed have slowed a bit over the years. Perhaps swinging one of the heaviest bats in the league is no longer the best career choice. Then again, guys like Albert Pujols remind us that home run droughts can happen to anyone.
H/T Hardball Talk
Photo credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE
