Dale Sveum tabs Soriano, Valbuena and Camp as big surprises of the season – MLB News
Chicago Cubs' manager Dale Sveum on Monday, October 1, tabbed Luis Valbuena and Shawn Camp as the biggest surprised of the year for the club. The two youngsters who became part of the team after being brought from the Minor League remained instrumental for the Cubs throughout the season.
Along with them, it was Alfonso Soriano whose career-high RBIs won kudos from the Cubs’ manager.
In 150 games that Soriano has appeared this season, he has had .501 slugging percentage in his 557 at-bats, with 108 RBIs coupled with 32 home-runs. A team that is in the building phase has seen an enormous potential in Soriano.
In the years to come, as the Cubs gradually transform into a strong team with all the veteran and young players, Soriano will be a positive influence on the team.
"Soriano has been the biggest every single day, all season long surprise, defensively and offensively," Sveum said. "The person he is, the work ethic and everything has been awesome for a new manager to come in and see what he brings to the table.”
Reliever Shawn Camp is another player that Sveum spoke of, a reliever with ever improving stats in the game. The young reliever had 79 games this season, having a 3-6 record with 3.40 ERA.
Luis Valbuena’s .221 batting average in 89 games after being brought in from Triple-A Iowa is another surprise. In 262 at-bats, the player had 28 RBIs with .344 slugging percentage. The young player is touted as a potential winner for the team in years to come.
Had there not been these players this season, the Cubs might have had a tough time.
"Some of these key pickups right at the end of Spring Training have kept us afloat," Sveum said of Valbuena and Camp. "Those kind of guys have helped us out tremendously or this would have been an even tougher season."
The Cubs in their building phase has seen some of the incredible potential talents. How long will they go in the team’s strengthening is something to be seen in the years to come.
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