What is a true leadoff hitter?

We hear about the so-called “true leadoff hitter” all the time. As Cubs fans we’ve heard about it seemingly every day since the Cubs signed Alfonso Soriano. Toni Ginnetti talks about the Cubs need for a true leadoff hitter in the Sun-Times today. The leadoff spot had been the protected domain of Alfonso Soriano since he came to the team in 2007. It remained his until early July, when an injured knee and slumping bat finally pushed him down to the sixth spot. That is where a healthy Soriano will stay next season. ‘‘That’s over with,’’ manager Lou Piniella said Friday of Soriano’s leadoff role. But the team still has no true leadoff hitter with speed and base-stealing ability - qualities that will be on the offseason shopping list for general manager Jim Hendry. What the **** is a true leadoff hitter? Has Alfonso Soriano been a fictional leadoff hitter for most of his career? Has he really not been leading off and it only seemed like it? You know, it’s phrases like this that the uninformed thrown around in an attempt to try and make themselves sound more intelligent. After all, why would Toni Ginnetti be talking about a true leadoff hitter if he didn’t know what a leadoff hitter was supposed to do? Unfortunately a vast majority of the people who read the sports pages believe what they read. Whenever someone says “true leadoff hitter” I’m immediately trying to figure out how they define it. The nice thing about it is that it’s a flexible definition, which makes it convenient for people like Ginnetti to throw around. Piniella seems to think a leadoff hitter only steals bases. ‘‘But if we got someone who is capable of stealing 30 or 40 bases in the mix, that would change things,’’ he said. ‘‘If you look at our offense, adding a speed guy and another bat (are priorities) - but that’s Jim’s department.’‘ Maybe we could get the on-base machine Juan Pierre. Oh wait, he sucks at getting on base and isn’t even a good base-stealer. I couldn’t care less how many bases the leadoff hitter steals. Speed would definitely be nice, but the same could be said out of the 2nd spot, 3rd spot, and every spot after that. There’s no spot in the lineup that speed wouldn’t be nice to have. If DeRosa could make Pujols a bit faster, that would be awesome. Ginnetti doesn’t offer what he thinks a true leadoff hitter is, so I’m just assuming he’s repeating a phrase heard on talk radio because he thinks it sounds cool. Did you notice that Lou said the Cubs need to add a “speed guy and another bat?” Where? Lou has already said Soto will be the starting catcher and catchers rarely have good speed. Good hitting catchers are also usually not available anyway. Derrek Lee has been the team’s best hitter this year. 2nd base. This is a spot the Cubs can and should add another hitter at, if possible. Ryan Theriot is the Cubs shortstop for the rest of his life, because the fans will revolt if the Cubs try to get rid of him. Ramirez is fine. Fukudome is fine. That leaves Soriano (LF), Bradley (RF) and 2nd base. Soriano is signed for 5 more years and if the Cubs wanted to get rid of him they’d have eat a lot of that contract. that’s not going to be the first thing Ricketts does, or at least I wouldn’t think so anyway. We’re now down to 2nd base and RF and Lou saying the team needs another speed guy and an other bat. Those are your offensive positions that Lou wants upgraded. I don’t know if Hendry will do what Lou wants, but he has to this point. If Ricketts allows Hendry some room to add payroll, he’ll probably try to make Lou happy again. If I were Hendry, I’d go sign a 2nd baseman or trade for one and then tell him to put Milton Bradley in RF and deal with it. I don’t see Hendry doing that though. Buster Olney doesn’t think the Cardinals will re-sign Matt Holliday so if the Cubs are getting rid of Bradley they need to go after Holliday. There are few options in which they could get rid of Bradley and actually improve the team. Holliday is one of them.