After a 16 year career in the MLB, Alfonso Soriano has announced that he will choose to retire at age 38. Hector Gomez sent out the tweet about Soriano’s retirement.
Soriano had some ups and downs during his career. When he got to the big leagues and started playing with the New York Yankees, he quickly became a special player because he possessed a rare, power and speed combination. From 2001 to 2003, Soriano had a total of 95 home runs, 119 stolen bases, an average of 32 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
Winner of four silver slugger awards, Soriano’s career achievements also include 7 all star selections, which came in consecutive years, from 2002 to 2008. In that span he played for four different teams, the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and Chicago Cubs.
Alfonso Soriano was also involved in a couple of big trades. On February 16, 2004 he was traded by the Yankees with a player to be named later (Joaquin Arias) to the Texas Rangers for third baseman Alex Rodriguez. A year later on December 8, 2005 he would be traded by the Rangers, to the Washington Nationals for Armando Galarraga, Terrmel Sledge, and Brad Wilkerson.
It was in 2007 when he earned huge pay. The Chicago Cubs signed him to an 8 year, $136 million dollar contract. At the time of the contract, the Cubs thought they were getting that same speed and power threat Soriano was, but things did not pan out as well. Although Soriano did put up decent numbers, they were never the same as when he was with the Yankees, Rangers, and Nationals.
Leg injuries and age were a reason why Soriano stolen base numbers went down. In his first six seasons in Chicago from 2007-2012, Soriano only stole 60 bases. While in his previous six seasons, from 2001-2006, he stole 208 bases.
He ultimately changed positions when he joined the Chicago Cubs, as he went from second base to left field. His power numbers fairly maintained themselves, as he averaged 27 home runs per season in those first six seasons with the Cubs.
It was until the 2013 season when Soriano came back to where he started his career, the Yankees. The Cubs traded him to the Yankees for minor leaguer Corey Black. In a much more limited role, Soriano was able to play some games as a designated hitter for the Bronx bombers.
Alfonso Soriano’s final career stats include, 2095 hits, 412 home runs, 1159 RBI’s, 289 stolen bases, a .270 batting average, and an .819 OPS.
Photo Credit: ESPN