Soriano, Soto try to shake off tough seasons

[March 24, 2010]  MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto's drop-off was steep last season.

Now they are trying to pick themselves up. So are the Chicago Cubs.

If Soriano and Soto succeed, the Cubs just might, too, after falling from back-to-back NL Central titles to 83-78 last year and nowhere near their lofty expectations.

With six All-Star appearances and seven selections to go with a $136 million contract, Soriano wants to show he still has something left after getting booed at Wrigley Field in a season that ended with arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-September. Soto wants to show that his 2008 Rookie of the Year season was no fluke.

Now, they're trying to make amends.

Soriano fell off dramatically after helping the Cubs reach the playoffs the previous two years, going from batting .280 with 29 homers and 75 RBIs to .241, 20 and 55 in a year that he said was like no other. It's something he doesn't want to experience again, either.

"Last year was not an easy year," he said. "What I've been through last year, that's never happened to me. But that happens to every player. ... has a bad year. That was my first time and I hope that doesn't happen again."

Soto is in a similar spot.

He said he "let all my teammates down" last year when he made more headlines for his weight and a positive marijuana test than for anything he did on the field.

Not exactly skinny when he batted .285 with 23 homers and started the All-Star Game as a rookie, he showed up out of shape and got off to a terrible start. He hit .109 in April and finished the season with a .218 average. As if his struggles on the field weren't enough, there was the embarrassing revelation in June that he tested positive for marijuana during the World Baseball Classic.

"I want to be there for my teammates," Soto said. "I want to prove to them that I'm here to play hard, to be for them. And I'm not going to quit."

So he changed his diet in the offseason, eliminating late snacks and big meals. He started working out with a personal trainer and slimmed down, going from 242 to 202 at one point before settling around 212.

"I went with a bad taste last year," Soto said. "I want to come back and do some unfinished business."

He said he's more agile and feels energized after a season that was a downer for him and just about everyone else in the locker room. From the departed Milton Bradley to struggling ace Carlos Zambrano and injuries to key players such as Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs' problems were wide-ranging last year.

For Soriano, it all centered on a knee problem that threw off his mechanics. Now that he's feeling better, he insisted he can at least get back to the level he was at two or three years ago.

Whether that's enough to satisfy fans that scrutinize his mistakes, his slumps and his shortcomings as a leadoff hitter is another issue. At least they won't be grumbling about that anymore, since Soriano's now batting sixth.

If fans grumbled last season, imagine how they'll be if he struggles again. Soriano still has five years left on the eight-year deal he signed before the 2007 season.

"I struggled last year because of my knee," he said. "It's not like I lost my hands or I lost my style of hitting. I think I have a very good hitting coach (Rudy Jaramillo). He likes to work. We're working on my legs. That's the whole key. If my knee is good, I don't have any problem hitting."

Running is a different issue, although the Cubs aren't looking for the former 40-40 player to steal bases. They want him to hit for power and drive in runs.

So while Soriano said he still needs to test his leg sprinting, the Cubs aren't too concerned.

"Let's face it, he had some significant injuries," general manager Jim Hendry said, referring to quadriceps, hand and calf issues over the past three years in addition to the knee problem. "I'm not worried about the left fielder stealing 40 or 50 bases."

They just want him to stay healthy -- and contribute.

"If we can get this guy to hit and hit for power and drive in runs, we'll be very, very pleased and he's shown every indication of that this spring," manager Lou Piniella said. "I feel good about Alfonso. I feel good about everybody here."

[Associated Press; BY ANDREW SELIGMAN]

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