Height/Weight: 6-1/195
| Birthdate: 1/7/1976
| Birthplace: San Pedro de Macoris, DR
| Bats/Throws: R/R
| Team: Chicago
| College: No College
| MLB Experience: 15
| Salary: $19,000,000
| Owned/Started%: 57/37 | Average Draft Position: 209.63
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (5/14/2013) Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano hit his fourth home run in Monday's series opener against the Rockies. He took starter Juan Nicasio deep for a two-run shot in his first at-bat. Soriano also added a double and finished 2 for 4 in a 9-1 win.
The 37-year-old is batting .340 (16 for 47) in his last 12 games with three homers and 10 RBI.
Manager trying to protect Alfonso Soriano
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (5/8/2013) Cubs veteran outfielder Alfonso Soriano was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday against the Cardinals for just the third time in 34 games.
"You try to give him these kind of days off," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said, per MLB.com. "He seems to perform better after the days off. Whether you feel good or not, your legs are getting pretty beat up and tired when you get to that age."
Soriano is batting .367 (11 for 30) with two home runs, three doubles and eight RBI in his last eight games. His batting average has surged from .247 to .276 in that span.
Alfonso Soriano goes deep twice
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (5/4/2013) Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano accounted for the team's only runs with a pair of two-run homers during a 6-4 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday. Soriano, who is riding a five-game hitting streak, finished 2 for 4 with a walk as he took Reds starter Tony Cingrani deep in the first and third innings to push his homer total to three.
It was Soriano's 31st career multi-homer game. Last year, he did not register his third home run until May 19 and still finished with 32.
Alfonso Soriano out of Cubs' lineup Wednesday
by Jack Moore | CBSSports.com (4/24/2013) Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano is out of the lineup Wednesday against Cincinnati, ESPN Chicago reports.
Soriano, 37, has started all 19 games for the Cubs. With the club playing a pair of extra inning games the last two nights, he'll get the getaway day afternoon game off. Julio Borbon is starting in left field in his place.
Soriano is hitting .286/.313/.377 with one home run in 77 at-bats.
Alfonso Soriano with three more hits
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/23/2013) After having his six-game hitting streak snapped over the weekend, Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano began working on a new one Tuesday night against the Reds. He went 3 for 4 with a run scored. Soriano also stole two bases in a 4-2 win.
All three of the 37-year-old's hits went for singles.
Soriano is batting .348 (16 for 46) in his last 11 contests with one homer, two RBI and five runs scored.
Alfonso Soriano extends hitting streak to six games
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (4/20/2013) Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano extended his hitting streak to six games after going 1 for 4 agasint the Brewers Saturday, driving in his team's only run in the loss. He also committed his first error of the season.
Soriano has hit .297/.318/.406 in 66 plate appearances with a home run and a stolen base.
Time to buy into Alfonso Soriano?
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/14/2013) Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano's Fantasy ownership has dipped below 60 percent after he's failed to hit a home run or produce an RBI through 11 games. I can't say it's not justified, but if I was in a mixed league where Soriano is on waivers, I'd strongly consider adding him.
The first reason is you can see Soriano beginning to turn a corner, hitting safely in six of his last eight games. He's batting .290 (9 for 31) in that span.
Second, Soriano is hitting way too many ground balls to begin the season. His GB/FB ratio is 1.63, which is well above his career norm (0.69), according to FanGraphs.com. His fly ball rate is 25 percent, which is well below his career average (47.3 percent).
Lastly, Soriano is chasing too many pitches outside the strike zone. He has a 50 percent rate of pitches he has swung at outside of the strike zone, which is well above his career average (36.3 percent).
The veteran outfielder admitted Saturday his swing is coming around, so now might be the time to buy into Soriano before it's too late. His numbers should improve as he starts to get back to the norm.
Alfonso Soriano starting to swing better
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/13/2013) Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano had his best offensive performance of the young season on Saturday against the Giants. He went 3 for 4 with a stolen base in the 3-2 loss.
"I know myself and have a lot of confidence in myself," Soriano said. "After only 10 games, I feel my swing is getting better. Right now, they aren’t giving me good pitches to hit so I try to make adjustments. As soon as they start pitching to me and I have my swing in place, I will be fine."
Alfonso Soriano has first extra-base hit
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (4/11/2013) Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano doubled and scored a run in a 7-6 loss to the Giants Thursday afternoon. It was the first extra-base hit of the year for Soriano, who has a .200/.222/.229 line with nine strikeouts in 36 plate appearances.
Alfonso Soriano striking out early on
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/3/2013) Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano recorded his first hit of the young season Wednesday night against the Pirates. He singled in the seventh inning and finished 1 for 4 in the 3-0 loss.
Soriano has gone just 1 for 8 (.125) with four strikeouts through two games.
Alfonso Soriano connects on fifth home run of spring
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (3/28/2013) Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano connected on his fifth home run of the spring in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Mariners, taking Hisashi Iwakuma deep with a man on in the third inning. It was Soriano's only hit in two trips to the plate, giving him a .232/.271/.554 line in 59 plate appearances.
Alfonso Soriano hits one out
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/16/2013) Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano hit his second home run in Cactus League play on Saturday against the Royals. He launched a two-run shot off starter Bruce Chen in his first at-bat and finished 1 for 2 with a walk in the 8-3 win. Soriano has gone 7 for 28 (.250) with five RBI and a .536 slugging percentage through 12 spring games. "I'm feeling good," Soriano said. "My body has responded very well and I have to work with my timing at little bit at home plate."
Soriano hits first spring HR
(3/4/2013) Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano had a productive day at the plate in Monday's Cactus League game against the Indians. He went 2 for 2 with a home run in the 13-5 loss. Soriano launched a solo shot off Carlos Carrasco in the second inning for his first long ball of the spring.
Soriano lists his options
(2/18/2013) ESPN.com reports Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano has given the club a list of "six or seven" teams in the "east or center" that he would be open to a trade to. Soriano has two years remaining on the eight-year, $136 million deal he signed in 2007. "We've had a really good dialogue with Soriano and [agent] Pat Rooney," general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday. "I'll leave those discussions between Soriano, Pat Rooney and the Cubs. He's been honest with us when we've discussed certain destinations with him."
Soriano wants to stay a Cub
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (1/19/2013) Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano said Saturday that he's hoping to spend the final two years on his contract with the Cubs, reports MLB.com. "I want to finish my career here and try to win before I retire," he said. "I hope to stay here, and when they win, I want to be part of that team."
