NWI: Castle: Fukudome belongs at No. 2 as sparkplug

Whereas a worn out sparkplug not only wastes fuel but also strains the whole Cub ignition system!

Such skills are beyond the ability or discipline of present No. 2 hitter Alfonso Soriano.

On Monday, Soriano struck out twice, flied to right and slapped a weak grounder to first. Brewers ace Ben Sheets had something to do with that feeble output. But with 32 more home games being played in the cold-weather months of April and May, the Cubs need every element of “small ball” at their disposal to play under the winds and eke out low-run victories. They need to get off to a good start and pile up victories to counterbalance the inevitable pratfalls on dog-day road trips.

I don’t think Soriano is a $136 million bust. He’s simply a slugger who through various incarnations and his ability to run when younger convinced himself he was a top-of-the-order hitter.

Players must inevitably change for their team’s overall good. Soriano is unwilling or unable to adapt to situations. Fukudome is. Get him as many at-bats as far up as possible—now.