Alfonso Soriano
Gifted with speed and power, Alfonso Soriano burst into the Yankee lineup in 2001, hitting 18 homers and stealing 43 bases to finish third in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He topped the century mark in runs scored and RBI the following season, and hit 39 and 38 homers in his second and third seasons. The two-time All-Star second baseman was traded to Texas after the 2003 season for Alex Rodriguez. He struggled in his first season with the Rangers, but slugged 36 homers, drove in 104 runs, and stoled 30 bases in 32 attempts in the next season, in 2005. In the off-season, Texas dealt to him to the Nationals.
Best Season: 2006
In his free agent season, Soriano joined the 40-40 club, slugging 46 homers and swiping 41 bases. In spring training, he overcame the negative publicity of his feud with the Nationals about playing in the outfield, and during the regular season he played amid trade rumors. Soriano also had a gret year in 2003, finishing third in MVP voting.
Born
Alfonso Guilleard Soriano was born on January 7, 1978, in San Pedro de Macoris
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: DH
Primary Team: NYA
Similar Players
Eric Davis
Related Players
Alex Rodriguez
Post-Season Appearances
2001 American League Championship Series
2001 American League Divisional Series
2001 World Series
2002 American League Divisional Series
2003 American League Championship Series
2003 American League Divisional Series
2003 World Series
Post-Season Notes
Through 2006, Soriano had hit just .233 with seven extra-base hits and 18 RBI in 38 post-season games.
Awards and Honors
2004 ML AS MVP
Batting Feats
Hitting Streaks
15 games (2003)
Transactions
September 29, 1998: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees.
February 16, 2004: Traded by the New York Yankees with a player to be named later to the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez and cash. The New York Yankees sent Joaquin Arias (April 23, 2004) to the Texas Rangers to complete the trade.
December 8, 2005: Traded by the Texas Rangers to the Washington Nationals for Brad Wilkerson, Terrmel Sledge, and Armando Galarraga (minors).
All-Star Selections
2002 AL
2003 AL
2004 AL
2005 AL
Replaced
Yankee second baseman Chuck Knoblauch
Replaced By
In New York, he was replaced by Miguel Cairo, and in Texas he was replaced Ian Kinsler.
Best Strength as a Player
Power and basestealing.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Making the pivot, and footwork at second base.
Other stories on the Web about Alfonso Soriano
Soriano Refuses to Play Left Field ⇒
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