All of the pieces are finally in place for Chicago Cubs center fielder Marlon Byrd to have a career year in 2011.
Byrd has played hard every day, making him a fan favorite at Wrigley Field, especially among the Bleacher Bums behind center field.
No one comes to the park with a more workmanlike attitude than the 2010 NL All-Star.
Unfortunately for Byrd, injury issues and inconsistency have prevented the talented outfielder from having a career season, the type of summer talked about in baseball circles for years to come.
During 2010, Byrd was forced to carry the offensive load for a Cubs team that struggled with injuries, young players hitting the mid-summer wall and a lack of ability to produce in important, game-changing situations.
Tyler Colvin, Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano all had nice stretches during the course of the summer, but none of these were protracted enough to create the run support needed to get the Cubs over the .500 hump and into contention for the NL Central crown.
This should be dramatically different in 2011, due to the addition of ex Tampa Bay Rays slugger, Carlos Pena and the emergence of Starlin Castro.
If Fukudome, Castro and Alfonso Soriano can get on base consistently at the top of the Cubs lineup, pitchers will be forced to pick their poison between Carlos Pena, Aramis Ramirez and Byrd in the middle of the lineup.
No more pitching around the power hitters.
Because of the injury-laden and young Cubs lineup, it was easy for opposing pitchers to pitch around Byrd and take their chances with those around him in the order.
Increased discipline from each of these players should give Byrd some great looks at pitches which he didn’t see in 2010.
If the Cubs finally practice the batting patience they have been preaching for the past few summers since the addition of Rudy Jaramillo as hitting coach, the middle of the order should flourish.
Will Marlon Byrd finally have the career season Cubs fans have been waiting for since his arrival from the Texas Rangers a few seasons ago?
The conditions are right and his Cactus League performance so far speaks volumes, but as always, sometimes the baseball gods intercede.
Only they know for sure.
And as Cubs fans know, cautious optimism is the best course to take.
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