Tell Me Why This Hasn't Been Raised

At some point after the trade of Alfonso Soriano to the Nationals, I thought of the fact that Alfonso Soriano came up through the minor leagues as a shortstop. I just googled (yes, damn it, I'm using it as a genericized verb) Alfonso Soriano and shortstop, and sure enough, there are a bunch of hits on the fact that Soriano's "natural position" is shortstop.

I have not been able to get a good read from Mr. Internet on how good defensively Soriano was at shortstop before he converted. Certainly, someone who struggles defensively at second base would theoretically be even worse at shortstop. But with Soriano, who apparently is a stubborn individual, he may thrive back at a position where he may think he "deserves" to play. I have never heard any complaints about his arm strength, but his accuracy seems to be in question. Throws from the shortstop position usually have some momentum towards first, so that may be a benefit.

The truth is, even if Soriano were to have 35 errors at shortstop next year, his offense would be a tremendous upgrade over Cristian Guzman. Assuming that the ownership is willing to eat Guzman's contract, moving Soriano to shortstop would actually be a massive upgrade for the team. I would have to retract my "Oh Good God No!" comment.