Could Soriano bat 3-4-5-6? Not likely

MESA, Ariz. -- Cubs manager Lou Piniella knew the question was coming Sunday.

He has heard all the arguments before.

He even says those arguments make some sense.

"Why?" Piniella repeated when asked why the question of dropping leadoff man Alfonso Soriano in the batting order comes up all the time. "Because, basically, you see a young man who hits 35 or 40 home runs, and you associate 35 or 40 home runs with a 3-4-5-6 spot in the lineup. That's why.

"It makes sense. It really does. He's had a lot of success out of that hole, too, and he got that (8-year) contract (by having success) out of the leadoff hole."

And so it likely will remain.

Soriano arrived at Cubs camp Sunday, one day ahead of the reporting date for position players. Before talk could turn to the leadoff spot, Soriano first took questions about the health of his legs.

"I've run (at) 75 percent, so I think my legs are good," he said. "We'll see now how I feel."

Soriano suffered a pair of nasty leg injuries last season, severely cutting into his running game. In April, he missed five games with a strained left hamstring. Things got scary in August, when he badly strained his right quadriceps, putting him on the disabled list for the first time in his career and forcing him to miss three weeks.

When the infield dust settled, Soriano's stolen base total had dropped from 41 the previous year with Washington to 19 in 2007.

"We're going to watch him," Piniella said. "With Soriano, it's just a question of letting him get in shape and not pushing him and getting him ready for the season. We want to get his legs nice and healthy and strong. If we can do that here in spring training, he'll run once the season starts."

Soriano would prefer to do that running out of the top spot in the batting order.

"I always like to steal bases," he said. "I like to run. I like to bat leadoff. If Lou thinks batting third or five in the lineup is better for the team, it's not a problem."

The problem, according to some, with Soriano batting first is twofold: Soriano's lifetime on-base percentage of .327 is low for a No. 1 hitter. Second, although Soriano can put the Cubs ahead 1-0 on the road with a leadoff homer, those solo homers waste RBI opportunities.

In 135 games last year, Soriano batted .299 with an OBP of .337 to go along with 33 homers and "only" 70 RBI.

Soriano appeared to be in good spirits Sunday. He was the focus of much attention last spring after he signed an eight-year, $136 million contract. This year, all the attention to date has been on right fielder Kosuke Fukudome, who came over from Japan this winter.

"It's always exciting to come to spring training," Soriano said. "I think I had too much vacation. Now it's time to work."

Adding to the quiet nature of Soriano's entrance is that there is no talk of him switching defensive positions. He began last year in center field before moving back to a comfort zone in left.

"I think it's a little more easy this year because that's my second year with the team," he said. "I know now that I'm going to play only left field and have fun. I put it in my mind just to have fun and let myself play."

Although many managers might bristle at the ongoing debate over where Soriano should bat, Piniella isn't going to quash that debate just yet.

"We'll just keep talking about this and having a little fun with it," Piniella said. "We'll do the right thing, what's best for the baseball team and what's best for the player."