After 16 Seasons, Alfonso Soriano Retires From Baseball

One magical swing, that’s what it was 13 years ago, as Alfonso Soriano took Curt Schilling deep, and with it, appeared to have delivered in the clutch, and extended the Yankees’ Dynasty for one more season. With the dominating Mariano Rivera warming up in the bullpen, Soriano had given the Yankees the lead late in Game Seven of the 2001 World Series…and as the late Paul Harvey used to say “And now you know, the rest of the story.” The infield gaffs, the misalignment of the infield, the Gonzo short fly into left, etc., etc. The dynasty ended that night, but it was one of the brightest moments of Alfonso Soriano’s career.

He was a part of one of the biggest trades in baseball history, let alone one that changed how baseball business was done. Soriano, once one of the Yankees beloved young players, became a Texas Rangers’ second baseman, and Alex Rodriguez donned pinstripes. Soriano finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2001, losing out to former Yankee Ichiro Suzuki. He almost became a member of the exclusive 40/40 club the following season, hitting 39 bombs and stealing 41 bases…a feat he would accomplish four seasons later to get a huge contract from the Chicago Cubs. Alfonso Soriano for all that he did, is considered by many to have been an enigma. Great power potential, but never THE guy.

I’m not sure how hitting 412 home runs clean, in an era of rampant steroid and PED use makes you a disappointment to anyone, but when you fail to deliver a World Series title in a career that spanned almost 2000 games, I suppose it could happen. He bounced from the Yankees to the Rangers, to the Nationals, refusing to play the outfield, then choosing to play the outfield and parlaying that into a monster contract with the Cubs, that by many, was considered an albatross. Soriano after 16 seasons, if choosing to walk away from the game rather than at almost 40 years old, attempt to make a comeback after the Yankees released him earlier in the 2014 season. [related-campaign]

During his last campaign, he looked lost, aloof, and unable to hit a big league fastball. His bat looked slow, and many were calling for his release long before it finally came. Soriano says it was because he wasn’t an everyday player, that adjusting to being an everyday designated hitter was something he simply couldn’t do…or wouldn’t. In 58 games after being reacquired from the Cubs mid-2013, he put the Yankees anemic lineup on his back, hit 17 home runs, drove in 50 runs, and appeared to have been reborn in the Bronx. It was a final glimpse into the potential that was Alfonso Soriano.

On Tuesday, he announced his journey as a big league player was over. He told a Dominican radio show:

"“I’ve lost the love and passion to play the game. Right now, my family is the most important thing.”"

However big the Game Seven home run was, that was the highlight of his postseason career, finishing with only a .213 average; including a putrid 2003 postseason in both the ALCS against Boston and an even worse World Series against Florida. The Yankees would lose that series in six games, in what would be Soriano’s final appearance as a Yankee for over a decade.

The 7-time All-Star finished in the top ten in MVP voting four times during his career, playing second base and the outfield. There was talk at the start of this past season, that Soriano would like to get to 500 home runs, perhaps play another year or two in the Bronx, reach the milestone and call it a career. He spent as many seasons with the Yankees (7) as he did the Cubs. He finishes with a .270 average, a .319 OBP, and an .819 slugging percentage. He stole almost 300 bases, making him one of the few power and speed threats in the modern game, but was never considered a big base stealer during most of his career, as knee and hamstring problems slowed him down later on. He stole 30 or more bases in 5 of 6 seasons, but didn’t steal more than 18 during his final six campaigns.