Leave them alone

May 28th, 2008 at 12:26pm Wally Haas

Too much discussion about Kosuke Fukudome batting second and Alfonso Soriano being pulled in the late innings for a better fielder.

Let’s start with Fukudome.  I’m sure he would be a fine No. 2 hitter, but Ryan Theriot has good numbers batting there. If Theriot were struggling, fine, then consider Fukudome batting second.

Theriot’s hitting .311 to Fukudome’s .301.  Fukudome’s on-base percentage is better (.406 vs. .391) but he also has struck out more times (31-18).

If you did move Fukudome, you’d have a lot of righties following (Jim Edmonds won’t last) and your middle and bottom of the lineup would not be as strong.

There’s also talk of moving him to center field. After watching last night’s game where Fukudome made at least one if not two game-saving catches in right, do you really think the Cubs would be better off with a less accomplished right fielder? Sure, Fukudome can play center, but not as well as guys who have been playing the position for their entire careers. You’d be weaker in two outfield spots.

There’s no reason to make a move.

Now to Soriano. OK, he’s botched a couple of fly balls, but let’s not forget he has an accurate throwing arm and has gunned down a lot of runners the last couple of years.  It may not be a wash, but it’s not enough of a difference to make a move at this time. Plus, taking his bat out of the lineup in the late innings could come back to bite you.

Lou Piniella knows what he’s doing.

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