Recently, there have been more seasons with 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases. Since the new rules went into effect in 2023, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani have joined this exclusive club. But before the new rules, there hadn’t been a 40-40 season since 2006. That’s when Alfonso Soriano wowed the baseball world in his only season in DC.
In 2006, the Washington Nationals were still in their infancy. They were at RFK Stadium and coached by the iconic Frank Robinson. There was a lot of excitement in the city after a surprising 81-81 presidential campaign.
To take advantage of that, the Nationals decided to trade for a star player named Alfonso Soriano. they are traded Brad Wilkerson, Armando Galarraga (yes, the guy who was supposed to have a perfect match), and Soriano’s Termel Sledge. This was a big win for Soriano, who only has one year left on his contract.
Soriano rewarded the Nationals with a truly iconic season. Even though the Nationals were terrible as a team, Soriano remains a Nationals hero. He was the biggest power and speed threat in Nationals history.
Soriano’s numbers were astonishing. He had a .277 batting average, .911 OPS, 46 home runs, and 41 stolen bases. His 41 doubles also made him First player in MLB history To have a 40-40-40 season. Soriano was at the peak of his powers and an incredible athlete on the field. I was only 5 years old at the time, but I still remember how special the 40-40 season was.
In both May and July, Soriano led the Nats’ offense with over 10 home runs. As of early September, Soriano already had 43 home runs and 34 stolen bases. On September 16, 2006, Soriano joined one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs. Achieved 40th stolen base.
But Soriano wasn’t in DC for long, but for a good time. That winter, Soriano went on the open market; Signed with the Cubs on an eight-year, $136 million contract. Soriano had a tumultuous time with the Cubs, and although he had some good seasons, he wasn’t worth the price tag.
But that doesn’t take away from the historic year he had in the capital. Alfonso Soriano was one of the greatest players in the Nationals’ early history. His 2006 season remains one of the great individual seasons in the top three in team history. Some say Soriano’s season is 40-40. forgottenBut it will live on in Washington Nationals history.
