Over the past weekend, I did a preview of the pitchers and the catcher position. Now with more position players arriving I will start to preview the positions. So I will start with first base today.
Bryan LaHair: The 29-year-old LaHair will begin the season as the Cubs starting first basemen. LaHair had a terrific season last year at Iowa(AAA) hitting 38 home runs and driving in over 109 runs. Although he has had great success in the minors, LaHair hasn’t had to much of an opportunity to become an every day starter at the major league level. The Cubs will finally be giving LaHair his chance. But LaHair will have to prove he can perform in the majors very quickly. The Cubs top prospect, Anthony Rizzo, is a first basemen who will begin the season in Iowa is expected to be called up at some point during the summer. If LaHair plays well and Rizzo is called up, there is a good chance LaHair could take over for DeJesus in right field. Hopefully LaHair will provide a lot of power for the Cubs until Rizzo is called up.
Anthony Rizzo: As I mentioned before Rizzo will begin the season in Triple A Iowa unless LaHair suffers an injury. The Cubs traded for Rizzo during the off season. Rizzo hit 26 home runs and drove in 101 runs last year in Triple A for the San Diego Padres. Rizzo is a big part of the Cubs plans for the future. MLB.com ranks Rizzo as the number one first base prospect. Expect to see him at first base for the Cubs in either June or July
Dan Vogelbach: Even though he is a few years away from being ready for the majors, I would still like to preview Vogelbach. Just 19-years-old, Vogelbach is the number 10 rated first base prospect according to MLB.com. He provides a great amount of power and also can hit for average. Vogelbach is very big kid checking in at 6″0, 250 pounds. His weight seemed to scare teams away but the Cubs took a shot. He has already cut off some pounds and appears to be working hard to be in the best shape possible. The Cubs will likely keep Vogelbach for a couple of years just in case Rizzo struggles at the major league level. If Rizzo has success, Vogelbach could be a great trade bait for the Cubs in the upcoming years.
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