Cubs manager Mike Quade is leaning toward an unusual arrangement at second base. Paul Sullivan (via Chicago Tribune):
Will Cubs Open Season With Second-Base Platoon?
Whether the Cubs will finish the 2011 season with Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt as their second base tag team remains to be seen, but for now, manager Mike Quade seems content with the duo.
Baker has hit .393 and solidified his spot against left-handed pitchers, but DeWitt is at .200 and has struggled defensively.
This is rare, right?
And not just today; I think managers have always strongly preferred every-day middle infielders, presumably because the focus there is usually on defense rather than offense, and also because managers want their double-play combination to work together every day.
I’ll bet you could make a list of season-long platoons at second base on one hand, at least in the last few decades. I just wish I could figure out how make that list.
Anyway, this is probably a good thing for the Cubs. Neither DeWitt nor Baker will hit much, but platooning them does accentuate what they can do. Particularly if Quade goes all the way and exchanges DeWitt for Baker in the field when the Cubs are ahead late in games.
Like a lot of interesting notions in March, this one probably won’t survive combat for long. But it sure is fun to think about.
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