Season Preview: Lineup

With the season upon us, I thought it would be interesting to preview the Cubs in every aspect that they have. Today I will start with the lineup.

There are a lot of different things that will happen this year that will obliterate the projected lineup that I have below, but for Opening Day, it should look something like this.

RF- David DeJesus

SS- Starlin Castro

CF- Marlon Byrd

1B- Bryan LaHair

LF- Alfonso Soriano

3B- Ian Stewart

C- Geovany Soto

2B- Darwin Barney

Pitcher

There are some obvious question marks in this lineup. The most obvious of these is Ian Stewart. He has had some wrist problems during Spring Training and he had an awful season last year. If Stewart can revert to 25 HR form, then he can really help the Cubs as a team, but with his wrist injury likely to linger; it seems unlikely.

Next is Bryan LaHair. Lahair crushes AAA and has for three years, but we don’t know if he will be able to do the same in the majors. He has the potential to breakout, but it is hard to see what happens with him.

Alfonso Soriano is always a question mark because of his injuries. We all know that he can be the hottest hitter in the majors and make us love him and then swing at the low-and-away slider the next day and make us curse at our televisions. The question is whether or not he can stay consistent.

Starlin Castro only has a question of how much better will he get.

Marlon Byrd will most likely be traded this season, but he is a fairly known entity. He had a down year last year, but he seems to be seeing the ball better now than at the end of last season.

David DeJesus looks ready to bounce back to his career averages.

Geovany Soto is another obvious question. Soto showed such promise when he first came up, but has been inconsistent. If Soto can hit 20 HR’s like he is capable, then that gives the Cubs a real boost.

Darwin Barney will need to adjust a little further to major league pitching. If he is the Darwin Barney of the first half of the season then he can keep his job, but if he continues to hit .250; then he might lose his starting job.

The Cubs have a lineup that is filled with question marks. There is a lot of upside, but a lot of things need to go right in order for this lineup to contend and put up numbers.

The end of the year lineup will be interesting to see with the possible trades. There could be a new starter at every position except SS by the end of the year if the Cubs fall out of contention.