I have a special kind of respect for a good leadoff hitter. I think this stems from the fact that ever since I started playing tee ball at the age of seven, I knew I wasn’t a power hitter. I was short then and am short now (barely 5′6). But I always had a knack for getting on base. In tee ball, I’d always make sure to hit the ball to third, knowing that 99% of kids that age couldn’t throw the ball across the diamond. A year later during my first season of live-pitch baseball, my coach made me bunt most of the time, which I hated doing but also knew worked because no eight-year old really practiced fielding bunts. And for the rest of my baseball career, I walked. A lot. I always had a small strike zone and I took advantage, knowing that I never was big enough to hit that homerun. I took some pride in this self-awareness though I never deluded myself into thinking that this mundane skill would ever receive much attention or praise. But I wanted to give the team a chance to score some runs.

So it seems odd to me looking at the Diamondbacks-Cubs matchup and seeing Chris Young and Alfonso Soriano atop their respective batting orders. They may be able to steal some bases but neither are good candidates to be in that spot.

Taking into account all plate-appearances in the regular season, Major League hitters in 2007 batted .268 and  got on base at a .336 clip (this is including pitchers batting, mind you). Soriano hit a well-above average .299, but barely reached the MLB average in OBP (he had a .337). It’s even worse for Chris Young, who batted a pretty pathetic .237 and had an even uglier OBP of .295. These guys don’t seem to have any business batting leadoff for division champs facing off in the playoffs.

So why are they?

Despite their lack of patience at the plate, both Soriano and Young are candidates to join the 30-30 club in 2008. Young fell three SBs shy (hit 32 dingers) in 2007 while Soriano hit 33 HRs but still failed to meet fantasy owners’ expectations by swiping only 19 bags, probably due to an early season hamstring injury combined with his quad injury in August. And for some reason, this becomes the first bulletpoint in the resume for those applying to become a leadoff hitter (yeah, I’m still looking at you, Jimmy Rollins). I simply don’t see the benefit of having a leadoff hitter who cannot get on base at a decent clip. And funny enough, it’s not like either the Cubs and DBacks have so many prolific power hitters that they can’t find room for them in prime RBI spots. Both Young and Soriano led their respective teams in homeruns. This all just seems incredibly backwards to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I am always thrilled to see managers and players trying new things. If teams wanted to hit their best hitter first to give him more at-bats, I’d be all for it. But neither Soriano nor Young fit that mold either (I’d argue in favor or Connor Jackson and Aramis Ramirez personally).

I’m stumped.

So the Social Security set of Major League Baseball continues to rake it in.

On the heels of the Dodgers throwing $18.5 million for two years at old-for-his-age Nomar Garciaparra (a rickety 33), other teams continue to add past-their-prime stars to their rosters.

Greying Mike Mussina (38) re-upped with the Yankees for a slightly less than he was making before ($23 million for two years, as compared with $88.5 million over six).

The Mets have hired Moises Alou (40) for the year, paying him $8.5 million for his services at the plate and in left field. And in a formality, they declined their option on Tom Glavine (41), who is vacillating between staying in New York and going home to Atlanta. Earlier this year, they re-signed Orlando Hernandez (41) and Jose Valentin (37), and added Damion Easley (37) to their bench. Next to fellow benchwarmer Julio Franco, these veterans all look like mere pups. The first baseman (and 1990 All-Star Game MVP!) is 48.

The Reds signed lefty reliever Mike Stanton (39) to a $5 million, two-year deal with a $2.5 mill option for 2009. And, of course, the Tigers earlier gave up young pitching for 38-year old Gary Sheffield, while rumors continue to swirl around 42-year old Barry Bonds.

That makes the biggest deal to get finalized this offseason, Alfonso Soriano’s $136 million with the Cubs, also the youngest. The infielder-turned-outfielder is just a couple months shy of his 31st birthday and will be 39 when his deal with the Cubbies runs out. (Though, as Nick pointed out, he hits like he’s ten years younger, so maybe the Cubs were just confused. Or drunk.)

It’s a whole new ballgame. Now that Alfonso Soriano has signed with the Cubs, the free agent market takes on a different look. Soriano is gone. Alou is gone. Sheffield is gone. If you’re a GM in search of a big bat, you better move quickly, because there aren’t too many options left out there.

Here’s a rundown of what all the different papers are saying about Soriano’s deal and it’s impact on other teams:

In New York, the Times is claiming that Soriano’s deal is a sure sign that the Tribune Company plans to sell the Cubs, and that the notoriously cheap company has no intention of being the one to write Soriano those big checks.

MLB.com is saying that the Phillies have shifted to Plan B, now that Soriano is off the market. The Phils, who previously stated their desire to trade LF Pat Burrell may now decide to keep him, though the team still appears determined to deal him and absorb a portion of the $27 million that he is owed over the next two seasons. If Burrell is dealt, Aaron Rowand could shift to left, with Shane Victorino and Jeff Conine in center and right, respectively. 

The Philadelphia Inquirer says GM Pat Gillick will need to get creative, maybe even desperate. The Inkie is suggesting that Gillick “approach Jimmy Rollins and see if he’d move to third base so the Phils can try to trade for Miguel Tejada, who is insistent on playing shortstop,” which is about the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.

Jay Mariotti thinks the Soriano deal is a stroke of genius and wonders why the White Sox didn’t try to get the 40-40 man. Mariotti, it should be pointed out, is an idiot.

The L.A. Times says Soriano’s decision to sign with the Cubs prompted the Dodgers to sign Nomar for two years and $18 million.

Finally, the New York Daily News says the Angels, who are looking for a bat to add to their lineup, say they’ll try and trade for Manny, now that they’ve lost out on Soriano.

Free agents are signing faster and earlier than ever before as teams look to lock up coveted players in what looks to be the hottest market in several years.

Sunday news broke that the Cubs signed Alfonso Soriano to a ridiculous 8-year contract worth $136 million that also reportedly includes a full no-trade clause. The Cubs probably feel grateful that they were able to get this year’s number one free agent for only $17 million per year when many were predicting he would command more than $20 million per, but I have to question tying the team’s fate to a player for that long when said player has yet to learn plate discipline at age 30 and is still living off his “young player” skills of speed and bat speed, yet will be 38 years old at the end of this contract. Once Soriano’s speed gives way and his bat starts to slow but he still doesn’t know how to take a walk, I can only imagine the Cubs will regret this contract. Unless they win a World Series or something.

Another scary contract that came down the pipe today was the Dodgers signing Nomar Garciaparra to a two-year, $18 million pact. Although Garciaparra won the Comeback Player of the Year award for sorta playing a whole season after years of injury woes, he certainly didn’t shake the “injury-prone” label this season, playing through serious injuries to his rib cage, oblique, and calf that all caused him to miss time and to hobble around even when he did play. And this was all with Garciaparra playing first base to avoid injury! What’s so scary about these injuries is that none of them happened on any specific play like a dive or a slide - they just sort of randomly cropped up for no reason. That is the definition of “injury-prone.” And with the Dodgers hoping to move Garciaparra back to third base (a more physically demanding position than first) to make room for prospect James Loney, we are likely to see many more strange muscle tears and ligament sprains troubling an increasingly brittle Nomar over the next two years.

I normally consider Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin’s columns to be a waste of newsprint, but he’s got a piece in today’s paper about why the Phils shouldn’t sign Alfonso Soriano that actually made me stop and think.

I’ve been a pretty big proponent of bringing Soriano to Philadelphia. He would bring both protection for Ryan Howard and more speed to what is (if the team can find a taker for Pat Burrell) an already speedy lineup.

But Conlin makes some good points against signing Soriano, including the fact that Soriano strikes out a lot:

Should the Phillies turn the current staying-in-the-news hints that they might actually pursue a free agent who could cost as much as $105 million (insert laugh track here) for 7 years into reality, there is a deal-breaker.

And here it is:

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That’s how 473 strikeouts look all lined up to march into box scores, ready to kill rallies. That’s how many times Ryan Howard (181), Soriano (160) and Utley (132) walked slowly back to the dugout last season.

You’re talking about the 3-4-5 spots in the Phillies’ batting order. And, yes, the thought of the 136 homers they hit last season is intoxicating. However, the mind boggles at the stranded RISP numbers all those strikeouts represent.

The problem with the Phillies is that they too often fail to come through in the clutch. This a failing that frequently gets pinned on Burrell, but the truth is that Ryan Howard’s numbers with runners in scoring position aren’t very good, either. Getting rid of Burrell would be good, but replacing him with another strike out prone hitter might not be the best idea.

Then again, there are so many reasons to sign Soriano, as new Phils 3B coach Davie Lopes points out:

“This is a good team, good city, good park for him,” Lopes said. “He’s just an outstanding guy. Pound-for-pound, I’ve never seen anyone hit the ball farther. And he brings energy to the park. Every day, he comes in with a smile and is ready to play. He has the ability to elevate and pick up people.”

In the past, the Phils have been criticized for not having the right attitude. Soriano is said to have a great attitude. The Phils have been too slow. Soriano is fast. Plus, Soriano had a big year playing in a big park for a bad team while hitting leadoff. Imagine what he could do with the Phillies playing in a tiny park hitting behind Ryan Howard?

Then again, imagine how many times he could strike out.

Alfonso Soriano is a popular guy these days. The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the Cubs want to sign him and make him their center fielder and leadoff hitter. The Philadelphia Inquirer says that the Phillies want to sign him to play left field and bat in front of Ryan Howard.

Other reports have Soriano landing with the Angels, White Sox or Mets.

What’s the truth? Simply, that Soriano is the most desirable free agent out there and he’ll play wherever he wants next season.

Burrell on the block

Phils GM Pat Gillick has all but said that he will attempt to trade Pat Burrell in the offseason. It doesn’t even sound like he hopes to get much in return beyond salary relief.

“We’re going to have to continue to look for a little more offense. We know we’re probably… Pat has had a really difficult time protecting Howard,” Gillick said.

He noted the Tigers’ run to the American League pennant was driven by pitching. “We have to improve our pitching. We have to continue to work on our bullpen, and we have to continue to work on our starting pitching.”

I’m not sure how Gillick plans to improve the Phils’ starting staff — it’s looked great in the final month of the season. But if Jamie Moyer heads back to Seattle in the offseason, a starting spot could open up and, just between you and me, I think free agent Jason Shmidt would look darn good in red and white.

The Washington Nationals are looking more and more like they will trade Alfonso Soriano sometime before the trade deadline. From Today’s Wapo:

Nationals scouting director Dana Brown and player personnel director Bob Boone have both seen New York Yankees Class AA affiliate Trenton over the past two weeks, an indication of the Nationals’ hope that the Yankees might eventually be willing to deal hard-throwing right-hander Philip Hughes as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. Hughes, the youngest player in the Class AA Eastern League at 20, is 4-3 with a 3.18 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings, and some Nationals executives believe he’s no worse than a No. 3 starter in the majors, “and he could be a [No.] 1,” one executive said.

Not every player can handle the stress of playing in New York, but Soriano thrived in pinstripes, hitting .290, 38 HRs and 91 RBIs in 2003, the last last of his five seasons in the big apple. Of course, this time around, Soriano would be playing the outfield instead of manning second base. And if you’re a Yankees fan who believes that defense wins championships, the idea of Soriano chasing fly balls in left probably makes you a little nervous. Then again, the Yanks won with Soriano dropping balls at second, so logic would suggest that they can win with him dropping them in left, too.