History will look back at Alfonso Soriano in many ways.
Some will view him as having one of the most dominating combinations of power and speed to ever play the game. Others, mostly Cubs fans, will view him as one of the biggest overpaid players in baseball history.
So, I raise the question, is Soriano a Hall of Famer?
Of course, right now, it’s too early to tell. He still has four years left in his contract, and he will be 38 years old at contract’s end.
Soriano’s current numbers are not Hall of Fame worthy. He has a career batting average of .278, a total of 308 home runs, and 813 runs scored.
His power numbers are respectable, but nothing great.
Soriano has also stole 261 bags, hit 356 doubles, and has crossed home plate 909 times.
Soriano has about four and a half years to increase his numbers.
I project Soriano to retire with at least 350 home runs, 2,250 hits, 1,200 RBI, 1,200 runs, and 300 steals. While they may not appear to look like Hall of Fame numbers let’s dig a little deeper.
Based on my projections, he will be the seventh member of the 300-300 club. A club that includes Hall of Famers to the likes of Willie Mays, Andre Dawson Bobby Bonds.
Soriano will also be the third member of the 350-300 club and the fifth member of the 2,000-300-300 club.
Back in 2001, Soriano won the Rookie of the Year Award with the Yankees. Along with being a seven time All-Star and winning the MVP in 2004.
Soriano’s list of accomplishments doesn’t end there.
He made the All-Star team three times as a second basemen and four times as an outfielder. He has won the Silver Slugger Award four times and has made the playoffs five times—including two trips to the Fall Classic.
More impressively, Soriano has had four seasons where he has gone 30-30.
Now, the key stay, in my opinion, that could make Soriano Hall of Fame worthy is his membership in the 40-40 club.
In the history of the game, only four players have achieved 40-40 status: Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano.
However, what do the other three members of the 40-40 club have in common?
They all have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs! If you’re linked to performance enhancing drugs, all your records should be tarnished whether or not you where using them at the time, in my opinion.
There are still lots of “ifs” and “buts” on whether or not Soriano is Hall of Fame quality.
But, if he plays four more seasons, stays healthy, and puts up average numbers, he should be able to produce along the lines of my earlier predictions.
In his prime, Soriano had the best combination of speed and power in the history of the game, and because of that, I think he deserves to go to the Hall of Fame.
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