04-05-2010, 07:35 PM
<!--quoteo(post=86401:date=Apr 5 2010, 06:24 PM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ Apr 5 2010, 06:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=86399:date=Apr 5 2010, 05:19 PM:name=Gracie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Gracie @ Apr 5 2010, 05:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=86394:date=Apr 5 2010, 05:58 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Apr 5 2010, 05:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Jesus, they're really saying how bad Soriano looks? Can we go by the guy's career rather than a spring he was at 80% and 1 game?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Soriano did look bad, and it was because he still hasn't developed the brain power to lay off the breaking ball in the dirt.
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He never has, and never will. But he's one of the best fastball and mistake hitters in the history of the sport, so the numbers will be there at the end of the year. The guy's averaged 41 doubles and 36 homers over his career per 162 games played, and has a career .836 OPS which was dragged down a bit because of playing last year unhealthy. He looks like a little league hitter at times, but he can carry a team unlike all but a few players in baseball when he gets hot.
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But if you're only good at hitting fastballs, pitchers will learn (as they have with Soriano) not to pitch you fastballs. To be a good hitter, you have to be able to hit anything. The minor leagues are stuffed with hot young prospects who can beat the piss out of a fastball but never make it to the majors because they can't hit breaking pitches.
And while Soriano is a very good hitter when hot, his hot streaks are coming at increasingly distant intervals.
Soriano did look bad, and it was because he still hasn't developed the brain power to lay off the breaking ball in the dirt.
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He never has, and never will. But he's one of the best fastball and mistake hitters in the history of the sport, so the numbers will be there at the end of the year. The guy's averaged 41 doubles and 36 homers over his career per 162 games played, and has a career .836 OPS which was dragged down a bit because of playing last year unhealthy. He looks like a little league hitter at times, but he can carry a team unlike all but a few players in baseball when he gets hot.
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But if you're only good at hitting fastballs, pitchers will learn (as they have with Soriano) not to pitch you fastballs. To be a good hitter, you have to be able to hit anything. The minor leagues are stuffed with hot young prospects who can beat the piss out of a fastball but never make it to the majors because they can't hit breaking pitches.
And while Soriano is a very good hitter when hot, his hot streaks are coming at increasingly distant intervals.