Whither First Base

It’s funny to think that, at this time last year, the Cubs had a very good option westward in Iowa to take over first base duties in the unlikely event the durable Derrek Lee would come up lame.  Grizzled minor league veteran Scott McClain, who made his professional baseball debut before the first Gulf War, ate up AAA pitching to the tune of .291/.358/.577.  Now with the A’s organization, McClain is off to a bit of a slow start in Sacramento, but he had a torrid spring with the big league club, and he is certainly capable of putting up quality numbers in extended duty.  Instead of pining for the likes of Kevin Millar or Jeff Conine, it might be worth Hendry’s time to make the minor move of getting McClain back in Cubbie blue and let him take over at 1B until Lee returns.  He could then become a righty power bat off the bench (something the team desperately needs anyways) and even play some 3B if needed.

Speaking of durability, it is a blessing when talking about a guy like Derrek Lee, but more of a curse when it comes to guys like Juan Pierre.  Pierre’s skills have declined over the past couple of years, and he’s off to a terrible start early this season.  A day off here and there might help (although I’m not expecting much).  Pierre’s career value has been overrated a bit due to his ability to play every day and accumulate friendly counting stats like runs and hits, but his overall performance might be suffering due to wear and tear.  Of course, a day off for Pierre probably means a day on for Freddie “Boom Boom” Bynum, but moving Pierre’s ami Jacque Jones to CF and putting Michael Restovich in RF would be a feasible option.  Of course, any established reputation, for good or for ill, is hard to redress, so it’s probably unlikely Pierre will sit unless he starts hitting like Bill Bergen.