The Cubs drew 8 walks last night. And it wasn't just the usual suspects like Fukudome, Lee, Ramirez, Soto, and Theriot. This time Soriano, Colvin, and even Carlos Silva got into the act.
We talked about Colvin yesterday but Soriano? 3 walks? Really? Could it be that after all these years that Soriano is finally making an adjustment? If so, it would be a remarkable turnabout for a player who has always relied on his tremendous athletic ability to get by. I'm hoping that the patience he has displayed over the past few days is an admission of sorts by Soriano that he can no longer hit everything in the 773 area code. It's a natural part of aging, part of which has probably been accelerated by injuries in Soriano's case, that things start to slow down. We know he doesn't run as well, it also appears the bat speed has slowed and he struggles to keep up with harder fastballs. The plate coverage is also diminished.
He has shown that he is still more than capable of hitting pitches within the strike zone, however. And if he can make up for some of his shortcomings by 1) swinging only at pitches he can catch up to and 2) get on base by drawing an occasional walk in the process, then he can still be an asset to this team. He won't ever be that 18M player, but he can help this team on offense.
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