When Carrie Muskat of MLB.com first reported that Mike Quade said that Kosuke Fukudome is the favorite to leadoff, I thought it was a misprint. Surely Quade wouldn't be seriously considering Fukudome as the leadoff hitter, the same Fukudome who, as Muskat points out, had a .193 average in the leadoff spot in 2010 and a career average of .233.
I mean, Fukudome isn't even suppose to be the starting right fielder, Tyler Colvin is, right?
Well, after seeing Fukudome lead off in 3 of the Cubs first 5 spring games, it appears that Muskat may be right.
Fukudome does have a career .368 OBP, including .355 as a leadoff man, so he knows how to take a walk. He is probably a better option as a leadoff hitter than the two other players Quade has used this spring, Blake DeWitt and Reed Johnson, but that is not saying much.
The truth is, the Cubs do not have a true leadoff hitter. The best bet would be to move Marlon Byrd to leadoff, but Quade probably believes that his bat i...
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