Has Alfonso Soriano’s Power Run Dry?

It seems like only last year when Alfonso Soriano was one of the most feared power/speed combinations in all of baseball. When the Yankees traded back for their Alex Rodriguez bait, Soriano exploded at age 37 with 17 homers in 58 games. In 2014, he is imploding.

Jun 3, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees rightfielder Alfonso Soriano (12) reacts after striking out to end the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

No one really expected for the veteran to continue his surge from last year, but his drop-off in production has been staggering. Brought in mainly for power, Soriano has only six dingers with 19 RBI. That’s as many runs batted in as Mike Moustakas, the Royals third baseman who was sent down to Triple A. Maybe even worse, his K/BB ratio is nearly 10/1, as Soriano has a grand total of 6 walks all season. With a .226 batting average, and a .253 OBP, those numbers are unacceptable, especially at $18 million dollars.

Plus, his fielding has been a continued liability, with double the amount of outfield errors as assists. Granted, he was a mediocre second sacker who was moved to the outfield, but now he has trouble even patrolling right field. Needless to say his war is -1.

Watching Soriano unravel is especially disappointing to me. Number 12 was the first Yankee shirt I ever wore, and I wore the heck out of that shirt. I always found his swing amusing, because even as a little kid I knew his swing was unorthodox. I still have my t-shirt stashed away with my Allan Houston jersey, both about 7 sizes too small. I remember how excited I was when Soriano joined the 40 homer-40 steal club in 2005 with Washington, and I have several baseball cards of him in Yankees’ pinstripes. Sadly, all great careers must come to an end; for this potential Hall-of-Famer, his magic might be starting to wane.