A Sori lineup
Well, you can see how much pull I have around here:
Soriano, LF
Theriot, SS
Lee, 1B
Bradley, RF
Fukudome, CF
Fox, 3B
Fontenot, 2B
Hill, C
Zambrano, P
My suggestion was to start Sam Fuld in right or center and lead him off while dropping Soriano to sixth. But Lou makes out the lineup card.
"Obviously, he's done a nice job; we recognize it," Lou said of Fuld, who was on base three times last night. "Yeah, I thought about it all night. Look, I was going to put Soriano in there to play, regardless. I gave him a couple days off. I need for Alfonso to start swinging the bat. I've got all the confidence in the world in him.
"But we recognize, too, believe me, that the other young man (Fuld) has done a real nice job and that, basically, he deserves to be in the lineup, too."
So what about dropping Soriano down?
"Let me tell you this, we thought of that, too, believe me," Lou said. "Look, he hasn't played for a couple days. Let's put him in the spot he's been familiar with. Let's see if we can get him hot."
Lou said the Cubs could "adjust things" when Aramis Ramirez comes back Monday. but why it takes that to make adjustments is anybody's guess.
Soriano's hitting line is .230/.296./423. He hasn't homered since June 7.
The Cubs will have some tough roster decisions to make Monday when Ramirez, Reed Johnson and Angel Guzman come back off the DL. At this point, anybody with options is in danger of being sent down, and that includes Fontenot. It appears Blanco's glove and ability to play shortstop will keep him up here.
play your worse defense/hitting outfield in the majors then when you're down 11-2 in the 8th bring in your defense (Fuld/Blanco) . i always felt if you start your B defensive team and are winning late, that's when you bring in your defense....Ah, I'm just a fan
weren't the Cubs trying to trade for B. Roberts the last 2 years to lead off? didn't Lou just say yesterday that Fuld is your prototype lead off man?....
as a coach/manager don't you give your team the best chance to win most of the time? daily......
seems to me that playing 3/4 of your infield who are average or below is not smart.....Lee is gold glove, theriot is average, fox and fontenot are below....maybe Blanco over fontenot would be better.....
seems to me that playing 3 average to below defensive outfielders who are not hitting all year in the same outfield is not smart......soriano stinks, fukudome is a gold glove right fielder, average/good CF, he's not your prototype CF, speed, strong arm, etc....Bradley average to below......
when "B" outfielders misses a fly ball or fails to cut off gaper hits, most people think nothing of it, but your "A" fielder would have caught that fly and cut off that gaper.....that's why pitching and defense/speed win....
guess when Reed comes off DL Fuld will be gone....Lou just said
"it's only one game, give the kid a chance" talking about Soriano hitting 6th...it doesn't matter as many of us here have said weather he hits 1st, 6th, anywhere, he isn't hitting and that hurts the team.......how many games did fuld start? did he get a fair chance?
I'm just a fan....
I'll show you how smart Hendry and Lou are
Fuld was not in the cubs future plans.....remember all the guys they tried in center, Pie, Edmonds, Reed, Gerut, Fukudome, and that speed guy from Tampa. and just last week Hendry and Lou said "we have nobody in the minors ready to bring up"....Vitters is a few years away......
OOPS, how about Fuld
For the record, Lou said yesterday that Hoffpauir is a good defensive 1st baseman, outfield is his problem, he should have called up Fox when Ramirez got hurt, and the kids bring a lot of energy and freshness......
OOPS, things we all have tried telling them all year......
sometimes people think they have it made, can't be replaced......the Cubs have/had that problem, maybe now some of them will wake up.....maybe Lou finally is seeing the light....
Lou said no more umpire arguing for him, we never asked him to go crazy, just defend your players here and there..........
if the Cubs make the play-offs it won't be cause of Lou or Hendry....
so now they call themselves the "Iowa cubs", LOL.....
remember Hendry is the one who over paid Soriano, Fukudome, Bradley, Miles...
Fox, Fuld, Wells, Blanco were not in their plans, didn't have a back up for Ramirez, so Hendry has a big part of this team being bad....most of these guys are counted on big time to help lead them to the play-offs......bat Soriano 7th...
so if we go anywhere it will be in part/help of Fox, Fuld, Wells, Blanco, guys who were not in hendry's plan, not part of his 25 man team or back up plan....
Soriano is the biggest waste of money in baseball. I said it when they signed him and I'll say it when he gets hot and carries us for six games! He hurst us more defensively and when he's not hitting than he helps us when he's on one of his mini tears that will carry the Cubs vs bad pitching for one week.
Bucky, you hit the nail on the head!
You pay a guy this much money so he can fall flat on his face in two different playoff series?
We're stuck with him. No GM in his right mind would take this guy with his contract. Our only hope is if he gets on one of those tears before the trading deadline and Hendry finds some sucker who thinks Soriano could put that team over the top.
Soriano should be nowhere in lineup . Sixth - he'll just strike out with runners on base. He is terrible at everything baseball requires - hitting , fielding, throwing, etc. Uncle Miltie is a cancer - plays outfield like a blind man. 30 million dollar waste - just as Soriano an expensive waste with 5 years to go on contract. Maybe, if fans all start booing at high volume and frequency - Soriano will give up on last 5 years of contract - we can only hope.
Man responsible for this mess is HENDRY - worst GM in either league. This guy couldn't get to world series with a billion dollar budget - Disappointed in Lou not playing the players that give Cubs best chance to win.
This organization a mess from top to bottom.
Remember HENDY also brought you Miles, Heilman , Henry, etc nothing but poor , expensive decisions.
Sure Soriano is prone to the strikeout, but sandwiching him between Ramirez and either Bradley, Fukudome, or a currently hot Soto, would mean that more often than not, if Soriano failed, a quality hitter would then have a shot to pick him up. Soriano lacks plate discipline and hurts the team with his glove, but he's got a quality throwing arm and he's not going to sit the bench considering the money the Cubs spent (wasted) on him. The obvious solution is dropping him down in the lineup and at least making some of those HR's count more than all his solo shots.
As far as Hendry goes, I think you are coming down on him at least a bit too hard don't you? The Cubs did win the division the last two years, though they couldn't collect even one post-season victory. Theriot, Fontenot, Soto, Hill, Fuld, Zambrano, Wells, Marmol, Guzman, Fox, Hoffpauir, Samardzija, Marshall, Scales and Blanco are all guys that came up thru the Cubs farm system. Lee, Ramirez and Gregg were acquired by trading part of the farm system. Obviously, all of the players have contributed toward helping the club get to the playoffs to begin with. I'll agree that Soriano and Fukudome were poor decisions and have the Cubs' hands tied now. And the farm system probably fits somewhere in the bottom half of MLB organizations. But I'd have to say you are being a bit harsh in saying they are a mess.
Sorry - I can't agree with you on Soriano. He will be worse even lower in order.
For his money he never hustles, is selfish, would never go up against the wall ( he is afraid of wall) and will never be a clutch player.
The sooner Soriano & Uncle Miltie leave town - the better.
Even better yet - HENDY leaving will be the biggest plus - but there is nobody at Tribune to fire him.
HENDY could be GM a 100 years and Cubs will never bring Cubs to World Series.
He is as incompentent as they come.
Just saw Soriano strike out - when was last time this guy got a hit.
Love it fairness! I'm with you 100%.
I'm glad Soriano feels such comfort hitting .225 in the leadoff spot, even tho it makes the rest of us cringe when we see his name at the top of the order. He's a selfish, get mine type and has always been one and he's not gonna change. My problem is with Lou pandering to him when he really doesn't have to. What happened to the hard- line Lou that ran things his way and played the players who produced? I haven't seen that Piniella as manager of the Cubs yet. I haven't heard him,{ or any Cub for that matter} stick up for his team when Ozzie runs his mouth either and that perplexes me to no end. I'm not a big Rothschild fan, but somebody on the Cubs better show some teeth on this perpetually annoying issue, unless: A, they enjoy being Ozzie's b**ch, or:B, they're still looking for their long lost teeth like Lou.
Soriano has said in the past he would hit anywhere Piniella puts him in the lineup so Lou should move him. The problem is that in the past when he's done it it's only for a game or two and that's it. I think Soriano needs protection in the batting order so he sees better pitches. What about Soriano 3rd, Lee 4th and Ramierez 5th ( when he returns ) I would think he would see more fastballs with Lee and Ramierez behind him and if the one and two hole hitters are able to get on the pitchers have to decide either to pitch to Soriano or face a more consistent Lee and Ramierz.
The opposition will still pitch to Soriano regardless of where he's batting in the lineup. They realize he can hit the ball a long ways IF HE CONNECTS but that he's a strikeout waiting to happen. I say put all the OBP guys at the top Fuld (Johnson vs LHP), Theriot, Lee, Ramirez in the first four slots. Bat Soriano and either Fukudome or Bradley in the 5th and 6th slots, with Soto and Fontenot (Baker vs LHP) rounding out the order. And then leave the lineup alone. Let Soriano know he's not going to go hitless for a couple games and then moved back to leading off.
"If he [Piniella] has to change the lineup, it's OK," Soriano said. "The most important thing is I'm available to play. If he wants to change the lineup, it's fine."
Weird. I could've sworn Soriano has always demanded to be in the leadoff spot....I mean that's what everyone always says anyway!
you must have missed the last part of that interview.....he added , "but i feel more comfortable leading off"....his way of saying he wants to stay at lead off.......he always uses that line....
Just didn't know that 'feeling comfortable' was the equivalent of 'demanding to' hit leadoff.
LOL, my take was it was his way of demanding.......our boss would LIE to us/employee's many tmes so in a polite way i'd say "please don't mislead me".....have a good day..
we won, I'm happy, then Lou says..."we're going to make some adjustments in the lineup".....how offend have we heard that?....besides he always makes changes, but not the ones he should make...he was asked about Soriano in the lead off spot and he gave his same old answer.....i get tired of listening to his blank, blank......if i was Soriano i'd tell Lou to sit me for a while, let me clear my head, rest, give the kid some playing time, we're winning, etc.....and it has been done, rarely but done.....
a few years back Kurt Warner got hurt and the 2nd string QB took over, won 3-4 games...when Warner got healed he told the coach to stick with what's winning and he sat......lost his job but showed he was a team player, we not I......
..at least with regard to this issue. Hacks me off to no end..
Soriano sure looked comfortable popping up with a man on third and one out in the fifth.
LOL, at least you tried.......Lou said what?...he means put him in a spot where he can't hit....
so much for the "he plays the hot hand"....which i have yet to see...
agree Fuld should have been in CF, but then you'd have to move Soriano out of lead off and Lou won't do that.......that's the real reason Fuld is sitting....nice job Lou......