Dale Sveum announced his basic starting line up. How does it compare to the 2011 squad?
1. DeJesus RF over Fukudome.
It appears to be a wash at this point. DeJesus' career is on the decline. It is doubtful that DeJesus will have the power numbers normally equated with a corner outfield position. Fukey's .250, 10 HR 40 RBI seasonal average seems about DeJesus' projected 2012. So this move is not an upgrade over last season.
2. Barney 2B, same
Barney bulked up some in the off season and hit the ball well during camp. However, will the league adjust to give him a sophomore slump? Probably. Even though new management saw that second base was a weak position, they did not upgrade it with any viable competition.
3. Castro SS, same
The only question is whether the off-the-field issue will have any affect on Castro's consistent on-field performance. The new GM also failed to address the issue if Castro gets hurt; there is no ready back up in place (Barney is listed on the depth chart).
4. LaHair 1B over Pena.
Pena did what Pena does: hit homers, walks and have a low BA. Clearly, LaHair is house sitting first base until Rizzo is ready to be called up. LaHair will probably not have the 25 HR 80 RBI season that a Pena could be projected for, so most believe the Cubs have downgraded first base position this season.
5. Soriano LF, same
Soriano is a year old, and moving back up the line up card. That cannot be a good sign.
He will lead the team in HRs because that is all he has wanted to do the last few years.
With no other teams even inquiring about his availability, Soriano is blocking any prospect from getting a shot to improve more categories, offense and defense.
6. Stewart 3B over Ramirez
Ian Stewart is not going to replace Ramirez's offensive production at third. He may not even cover half of it. As for defense, history tells us that he is about the same as A-Ram defensively at third (below average). This is a definite downgrade.
7. Byrd CF, same
Byrd drops down the lineup card, which is a good thing. A #3 hitter with only 35 RBIs is not productive. Other teams have inquired about his availability to be a 4th OF/injury replacement but the Cubs appear not ready to part with Byrd (which would equate to an immediate call up of Brett Jackson).
8. Soto C, same
Maybe with non-factor Koy Hill gone, the prospect of Clevenger pushing for more starts will make Soto perform more towards his Rookie of the Year campaign than recent years on-off production.
9. Dempster P, same
No one can claim Dempster earned the Opening Day starter role over Garza, unless the only criteria was seniority. Dempster is in his final contract year (and probable career swan song).
So there are three changes in this year's opening day line up: DeJesus, LaHair and Stewart. Two of the three are downgrades over the 2011 starters.
