A fitting reward, is it not?
Cubs manager Dale Sveum said today that while he’s still figuring out the rest of his lineup, he’s currently planning to use David DeJesus as a leadoff man and Bryan LaHair in the cleanup spot.
It’s quite a show of faith in LaHair, a 29-year-old who has hit .262/.335/.395 with five homers and 16 RBI in 195 major league at-bats.
Alfonso Soriano was the other candidate to bat fourth for the Cubs. He’ll probably follow LaHair in a lineup that could look like:
RF David DeJesus – L
SS Starlin Castro – R
CF Marlon Byrd – R
1B Bryan LaHair – L
LF Alfonso Soriano – R
C Geovany Soto – R
3B Ian Stewart – L
2B Darwin Barney – R
Alternatively, the Cubs could move Barney up to the two hole and go with Castro third and Byrd fifth. Barney, though, was pretty brutal offensively after a nice April last season. It’s better if he hits eighth.