On March 15, Cubs skipper Lou Piniella told reporters that the Cubs second base position is Mike Fontenot's to lose. What? Fontenot a starter? Its about time that Pineilla got it right. Fontenot has shown that he can hit when called upon, and he will make Cubs forget about the loss of Mark DeRosa.
Looking at Fontenot's numbers, mainly in spot starts and pinch hitting situations, his numbers seem incredible. In 119 games last year, Fontenot batted .305 with 42 runs, nine home runs, and 40 RBI. That is incredible for not being an everyday player. He did this all in only 243 AB's!
Projecting out his numbers to 505 at-bats, the same amount the Mark DeRosa had in '08, Fontenot would have batted .310 + with 87 runs, 19 home runs, 83 RBI, and four SBs. Is it just me or are these numbers strikingly similar to those of Mark DeRosa, who to many had a career year last season.
DeRosa had a .287 average, 103 runs, 21 home runs, 87 RBI, and six SB. If Fontenot improves with the increed playing time, trading DeRosa to save money will be a brilliant move for GM Jim Hendry.
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