We are about 2 weeks into Spring Training, and there are some interesting position battles as discussed earlier.  Also everyone is keeping their eye on guys like Harden and Bradley.  How is everyone doing, you ask?  Well here is a brief run-down of the hitters as of last night (pitchers to be discussed in Part II tomorrow):

Catchers:

Geovany Soto: Soto is only 2-4 this spring and hasn’t played since February 27th since he joined the Puerto Rican team for the World Baseball Classic.  He is a lock to be the starter on opening day.

Paul Bako: Surprise surprise, Bako is 3-15 and hasn’t shown anything so far.  For some reason he is the front-runner for the backup catcher spot, but if he keeps this up he may lose the job to Hill.

Koyie Hill: He is 5-14 with 2 doubles.  He is hitting very well right now and he has called decent games behind the plate.  That being said he is going to have to really catch fire to unseat Bako.

Infielders:

Derrek Lee: Lee traditionally takes a bit to heat up, and it appears this year is no different.  He is hitting .211 so far but don’t worry about D-Lee.

Aramis Ramirez: He is hitting .317 and has a homer and 2 doubles already.  As long as he stays healthy, for the stretch run, the Cubbies are set at 3rd base.

Micah Hoffpauir: I want Hoffpauir on this team so bad.  The guy can flat out rake and has done it at every level.  He has 2 homeruns already and has a slugging % of .541.  Wow.  I know first base and right field aren’t immediate needs, but a bat like this can always come in handy.

Jake Fox: There just aren’t enough roster spots and if he can’t beat out Micah, they probably both won’t make the squad.  That being said he’s slugging at a .571 clip and also has 2 homeruns.  These two are not making it easy on Lou, but in a good way.

Ryan Theriot: The Riot is seeing the ball very well this spring.  He is 10-21 and has drawn a few walks.  Ideally he would lead off this year, but regardless he will be the starting shortstop.  Oh and he swiped a base on Sunday, though he had his first tootblan already and there are surely more to come.

Mike Fontenot: Were you worried he would lose the second base starting spot to Aaron Miles?  Well don’t.  He is hitting .367 with 3 doubles, 2 triples and even has 2 home runs.  He has the hottest bat in Mesa right now.  We need this lefty in the lineup and hopefully he can keep it up.

Aaron Miles: He has done nothing to impress so far.  His .222 average may keep him off the team altogether, although his purported “versatility” may still allow him to squeak onto the bench.

Luis Rivas: He needs a big spring to make the 25 man roster, and so far it hasn’t gone that way.  He has 4 hits in 19 at bats.  Meh.

Corey Koskie: Has yet to play a game.

Outfielders:

Milton Bradley: He’s 3/11 and has been bothered by a few minor things.  We know this guy can hit, I think what people are more concerned about is his health.  He seems to be ok after a minor pull and a cold early on.

Kosuke Fukudome: He has yet to join the team but he is drawing walks and playing great defense as usual for Japan in the WBC.

Alfonso Soriano: He is only hitting .167 so far but he does have 2 homeruns.  Fonzy will heat up, he’s a very streaky hitter.  Another person who’s health we have to keep an eye on though.  And the whole “I’m going to steal bases again” thing?  0-0 so far on stolen base tries.

Reed Johnson: Reed hasn’t done anything spectacular but he is a lock to be this team’s 4th outfielder.  He is very reliable and a Lou favorite.  Expect to see him on the team come April.

Joey Gathright: He hasn’t been spectacular hitting the ball, but he is managing to get on base and score runs.  He is using his speed to try to win a spot on the team.  It may work.

So Taguchi: So only has 12 at-bats and he has hits in three of them.  His use will be as a utility outfielder, but it’s nice to see him getting on base a bit with an OBP of .400.  It is too small a sample size to tell yet, but for now Gathright is winning this battle for the end of the bench by a hair (unless Lou gets wise and takes Hoffpauir).

Sam Fuld: Other than a homerun, nothing special out of Fuld.  He is a very long shot to make the team, if he even has a shot at all.

Related Posts:

• Cubs Spring Training Updates (Part II: Pitchers) (0)
• Chicago Cubs Positional Battles (Spring Training Edition) (5)
• Big Things Come In Small Packages (2)
• Lou, Your Fly’s Open (2)
• Milton Bradley Waves To Some Fans In Texas (0)
• Fab Five of the Week (0)
• Why Won’t Milton Bradley’s Negativity Just Go Away (Unpaid Rent Edition) (6)

Tags: Hitters, Micah Hoffpauir, Mike Fontenot, Milton Bradley, Position Battles, Spring Training