Who Should Hit Leadoff For The Cubs In 2012?
One of the many problems that the Cubs have been faced with in recent years is the lack of a true leadoff hitter.
Over the past few seasons, they’ve attempted to fill that hole at the top of the order with the likes of Ryan Theriot, Kosuke Fukudome, Alfonso Soriano, and even Starlin Castro for stretches last season.
Heading into 2012, the list of leadoff candidates figures to be pretty short. As well as Castro hit in the top spot in the order last season, only a few candidates are likely to be considered, and he’s not one of them.
When it comes down to it, the choice is probably obvious, but that won’t stop the Cubs from considering, at least, David DeJesus, Tony Campana, and Darwin Barney for the leadoff spot in 2012.
DeJesus is the new guy, and the most likely candidate, at least at the beginning of the season. He’s coming off of a pretty disappointing season with Oakland, after a steady career with the Kansas City Royals.
He’s not the ideal guy at the top of the order for the Cubs, but he obviously brings experience from the spot, as 2,580 of his 3,797 career at-bats have come from that no. 1 spot. He’s a career .292 hitter there, with a .365 on-base percentage, so he could do the job, just don’t expect him to steal many bases.
Tony Campana is an intriguing guy. Obviously, with Soriano, DeJesus, and Marlon Byrd, there isn’t room for him to start in the outfield, unless he pushes one out or at least one gets traded, with the latter being the far more likely option.
Obviously, for Campana he has the speed for the position. He’s one of the fastest players in the game, with 24 swipes in just 95 appearances last season. He was only caught twice. If he can get on base a lot more (just a .303 OBP last season), then he’d definitely be a spark at the top of the order.
Then there’s Darwin Barney. Even with Campana being a fourth or fifth outfielder, Barney is the most unlikely option. After a solid start to the season, Barney tailed off in the second half of 2011. He hit just .238 and had a .286 OBP. Considering there’s speculation as to whether or not Barney will even keep his job at second for the entire year, I don’t really see him hitting anywhere in the lineup besides eighth.
As of right now, it’s DeJesus. He’s not the fastest guy out there, but he knows how to get on base and his experience hitting leadoff should be an asset in the batting order. And unless Campana steals a job or someone is traded, he’s likely going to be there for a while.
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