Leadoff Hitter Already on the Team
Ever since the 2003 offseason, Cubs fans have been complaining about how the team lacks a true leadoff hitter. These complaints have amplified with the leadoff spot being given to the low OBA likes of Neifi Perez & the always frustrating Corey Patterson.
However, there really is a true leadoff hitter on the team. His name is Jerry Hairston and he has the stats to back it up: .272 BA/.368 OBA/ 6 SB. He regularly works the count and frequently walks. He also has decent speed.
However, he has never been played in the leadoff spot this year. This is probably due to the fact that when Cubs GM Hendry picked him up in the Sosa trade, he was not thinking of getting a leadoff hitter, but rather the best available warm body that he could use to placate the Cubs fans who had not given up on Sosa. This combined with Dusty Baker's fascination with placing low OBA hitters in the leadoff spot, has led to Hairston's talents being misused by the Cubs.
So far, the Cubs are playing above .500 without a real leadoff hitter actually in the leadoff spot. However, if the team wants to make it all the way down the stretch run into the playoffs, then team management needs to play its talent in the spots where they will have the maximum beneficial effect.
- Charles Rector's blog
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Charles, at what position wou
Charles, at what position would you play Hairston?
Hairston has shown himself to
Hairston has shown himself to be a pretty versatile player at more than one position, so he could be a full-time utility player. However, if you want to pin me down on preferring one position, then it should be at 2nd base ahead of Butcher Walker.
Walker
Walker makes a fine leadoff hitter, though, too. Granted, he's not real fast, but he at least has some extra base power to compensate.
Hairston is a fine backup infielder. In fact, if he could play a serviceable SS, he'd be just about a perfect backup infielder. But I think they pretty clearly have better players to start ahead of him, and overall I think Dusty has him in just about the right role.
Hairston has hit leadoff
However, he has never been played in the leadoff spot this year.
When Todd Walker was injured, Hairston spent a good deal of time hitting in the leadoff spot. Of his 158 at-bats this year, 117 of them have come from the leadoff spot (see splits).
That's weird. The only player
That's weird. The only players that I can remember seeing in leadoff are Patterson and Perez.
That being the case, those ESPN stats show Hairston batting .282 with an OBA of .391 which is the best showing that he's made in any spot in the batting order. That's all the more reason why he should be the permanent leadoff hitter.