By late April or early May, the Yankees will come upon an unusual, if not humorous anniversary: It will be one year since teammates were collecting a pool, trying to guess how many walks Alfonso Soriano would draw in the 2001 season.

	Alfonso Soriano Second Base New York Yankees Profile
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R SB AVG 158 18 73 77 43 .268

It wasn't just a clubhouse prank. It was a sincere curiosity among the Yankees, who knew Soriano, a rookie, could hit. But who could predict if the kid with the out-of-control swing and behind-in-the-count nervousness could ever resist the temptation to chase a two-strike fastball out of the strike zone?

Luis Sojo was so convinced of Soriano's jitters, he bet the kid wouldn't draw more than 10 walks -- all summer. With a smile, Sojo now says, "I was wrong, wasn't I?"

Not only did Soriano finish with 29 walks, he literally forced the Yankees to include him in the franchise's future plans. With a .268 average, 18 homers and 73 RBI, Soriano finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, behind Ichiro Suzuki and C.C. Sabathia.

Today, the only curiosity around Soriano is what to do with his seemingly limitless potential. Do the Yankees continue to protect him, batting him eighth or ninth? Or does manager Joe Torre lean on a 24-year-old and ask him to be the leadoff hitter in the most expensive lineup owner George Steinbrenner has ever assembled?

All during spring training, Torre has dropped hints that Derek Jeter, who's been primarily a No. 2 hitter, would convert to the full-time leadoff spot. It's a reasonable assumption, given Jeter's poise, on-base percentage and multiple offensive skills. But that hasn't stopped Soriano from openly expressing a desire to bat first and let Jeter drive in more runs.

When asked about leadoff, Soriano matter of factly says, "I like it."

He says so, strengthened by last year's 43 stolen bases, the most ever by a Yankees rookie. But getting to first base became so much easier during the second half of the 2001 season, and the at-bats continue to improve in camp. Soriano has batted over .360 during the exhibition season and last week took the major-league spring lead in hits.

That's why Soriano is more than happy to bat leadoff, or return to the No. 9 spot -- or even bat sixth, which is the wish of at least one Yankees executive, who believes Soriano really is a Vladimir Guerrero-in-training.

"I'm more confident at home plate," Soriano said. "I'm looking for my pitch. It's so different from last year. Last year, I was swinging at everything at home plate. Now, I wait for my pitch and have more concentration."

There's a reason for such brave talk.

A year ago, Soriano was convinced he'd be traded and spent most of his days waiting for the phone call that would end his Yankee career. Of course, no one ever spoke to Soriano about this, at least not directly, but the cloud of gossip that hovered over the rookie was thick enough to deflate him, little by little, day by day.

Fact is, Soriano wasn't sure how or where he fit -- first or ninth in the batting order, second base or left field? He started last year's spring training in left, but it wasn't long before Chuck Knoblauch's throwing disability forced the Yankees to rush him to second base, where in Jeter's words, "he's getting better and better all the time."

By the All-Star break, Soriano was becoming so smooth, he and Jeter created a better-than-average defensive combo. The tutoring sessions from coach Willie Randolph and Sojo were conducted on a daily basis, and by season's end, Soriano matter-of-factly said, "Got every move at second base."

Maybe that explains why Soriano very nearly became the World Series MVP -- hitting what appeared to be the decisive home run off Curt Schilling in the eighth inning of Game 7.

That blast, which gave the Yankees a temporary 2-1 lead, would've earned Soriano a permanent place in the franchise's storied history. After all, virtually every other Bomber was invisible during the Series, including Jeter (.148), Bernie Williams (.208) and Jorge Posada, who struck out once every three at-bats (8 of 24).

But all that would have been wiped away by Soriano's blast over the left-field wall, a triumph of power over power.

Of course, that lead didn't last long, as Mariano Rivera somehow evaporated in the ninth inning. Still, Soriano had made his point: he belonged, now and forever.

"When you do what he did, when you hit a home run in the seventh game of the World Series, well, that's a pretty good commentary on where you fit on our club," said Torre. "He feels like he belongs."

No more sweating out the trade deadline; teams have long since stopped asking if Soriano is available. No more worrying about a position change. It's him and Jeter, up the middle, for the next decade.

And no more panicking at the plate, either. Those days are over for Soriano, who seems ready to live long and prosper in pinstripes.

Bob Klapisch of The Record (Bergen County, N.J.) covers baseball for ESPN.com.