Darth Thanatos
06-20-2006, 04:38 PM
I think these two are the best leadoff HITTERS in the league as of right now. They both have different, but effective, offensive styles.
Ichiro
Average: .365
Hits: 111
Doubles: 8
Triples: 5
Home Runs: 4; 23 RBI
BB: 21; 29 K
OPS: .877
Runs: 54
Fact: Is on pace for a 240 hit season.
Alfonso Soriano
Average: .285
Hits: 83
Doubles: 13
Triples: 0
Home Runs: 24; 49 RBI
BB: 27; 66 K
OPS: .927
Runs: 54
Fact: Is on pace for a 50/50 season.
Shugadaddi
06-20-2006, 05:06 PM
Ichiro, hands down. He's on base more often.
Soriano I think would be a much better 3 spot hitter. 24 home runs? Are you kidding? Wow. Now I know why he's pissed to be playing in the outfield. As a second baseman, he's a lock for the all star game every year with numbers like that.
Ichiro, is hands down. He is the perfect table setter. Soriano in reality should be a 3 spot guy, he does great things but should be in an RBI producing spot for his numbers to be relevant.
Darth Thanatos
06-20-2006, 09:27 PM
Well I (will) voted for Alfonso Soriano. He doesn't get on base as often as Ichiro but I think he provides some things Ichiro can't. He'll give you some extra base power, and add the fact that he's leading off gives a pitcher a lot of trouble at the beginning of the game. A leadoff homer or extra base hit from Soriano can set the tempo for the game.
Jethro34
06-21-2006, 08:59 AM
I voted Ichiro. The HR's and slugging are nice, and you make a good point about that getting in the pitchers head at the start of the game, but I would argue that getting the first batter of the game on base gets in the pitchers head just as much as a homer or double. It shouldn't necessarily be that way, but it is. And Ichiro makes that happen more often than Soriano.
I asked a similar question related to the Tigers. Granderson is a poor man's Soriano, IMO. There is talk of possibly getting Carl Crawford though. The argument is that you lead off with Crawford because of his speed to set up the offense.
Hell, the ideal thing would be to bat Soriano 2nd or 3rd with that power, so that he could either extend an inning and/or make it 2-0 or 3-0. Add more runs to it than just a solo homer.
