Andres Torres Leads Mets Past Cardinals; Alfonso Soriano Blasts a Pair for Cubs

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Grapefruit League

The Mets lost speedster and leadoff hitter Jose Reyes to free agency - he ended up in Miami - but they acquired former San Francisco center fielder Andres Torres in the off-season and he may just turn out to be a good fit.

Torres singled and tripled in three at-bats and drove in three runs to lead the Mets to an 8-6 decision over world champion St. Louis.

While he may not possess the Reyes' blazing basepath speed, Torres did manage to swipe 45 bases over the last two seasons with the Giants. The batting average will have to improve if Torres is to become a solid lineup leader. He hit just 221 in 112 games last season, with 95 strikeouts.

Cactus League

Alfonso Soriano

The Chicago Cubs have disappointed their fans for over a century, last winning the World Series in 1908 when they beat the Detroit Tigers for the second straight year.

Well, they're back to try it again, getting their first win of the Spring in three tries with an 11-4 win over Colorado on Tuesday. Alfonso Soriano appeared to have his swing in med-season form, doubling and socking a pair of homers in three at-bats, cashing three RBI and scoring three times.

Soriano, who has been with the Cubs since 2007, was sent from the Yankees to the Rangers after the 2003 season, spent two years there and a year in Washington before arriving in Chicago.

Always a dangerous hitter with extraordinary power in his 6'1" frame, Soriano has hit 20 or more home runs in ten consecutive seasons, his best being 2006 when he blasted 45 for the Nationals.