Alfonso Sore-iano

Alfonso Soriano has been an enigma all year. Now we find out how important he really is to the Cubs.

He leads the team in home runs, but they’ve all come from the leadoff spot; in the three-hole, he hit a mere .179 with one RBI in 28 at-bats. He doesn’t seem to hit in clutch situations, as evidenced by his .234 average with runners on and two outs; but 14 of his 42 RBI – in only 64 at-bats – have come in those situations. He’s made some stellar defensive plays, but I can’t remember a single one of them at Wrigley Field, where he still looks lost in left field.

So what exactly is he to this team? A leadoff hitter with power? A power hitter who can’t produce? A defensive liability? A defensive strength? A riddle inside of a mystery all wrapped up in blue pinstripes? He does seem to be a contributor, but I just can’t figure out how.

One way or another, though, we may find out how much this team misses whatever it is that Soriano contributes, as he’ll be out two to four weeks with a strained right quadricep.

I’m not convinced his presence will be missed all that much. To be certain, this is and always has been Derrek Lee’s team, and after that Aramis Ramirez’s, and after that Carlos Zambrano’s, and after that at this point “Millionaire” Mark DeRosa’s, and then maybe Soriano’s, although I’d listen to a case for Ryan Theriot.

Furthermore, the way this team has played, someone will step up and fill whatever size hole Soriano leaves. This could mean more playing time for Jacque Jones and Cliff Floyd, or it could mean more playing time for Mike Fontenot with DeRosa in the outfield, or it could mean playing time for new Cub Eric Patterson (Corey’s little brother), who was just called up from Iowa, or it could mean everybody picks a playing and batting position at random out of an inside-out baseball cap, and having watched Lou Piniella all year, none of those scenarios would exactly surprise me.

On top of all of that, the Cubs do have a reasonably soft schedule for the next three weeks, leading into a big three-game series at home against Milwaukee. All they have to do is keep pace until then without Soriano. Which, of course, they should be able to do anyway. So maybe we never will know what Soriano means to this team.