Cubs manager Lou Piniella finally heard my calls for change and started Ronny Cedeno at second base Tuesday night. Sure, Cedeno committed an error, even though he is suppposed to be much better at second base than Mark Fontenot. But not to worry Cubs nation. Cedeno is the better option at second base.
Firstly, he’s hitting the crap out of the ball right now and Piniella needs to keep him in the line up. He’s done enough to earn a starting spot and he should stay there until his defense or bat completely fail him.
Secondly he’s not a bad fielder. He’s not the best fielder the Cubs have, but my god he’s hitting .373!
Another option is putting Cedeno in centerfield. Felix Pie and Reed Johnson are in a battle of who wants it least. Johnson separated himself from Pie with his bat, but his average has been dropping and Pie has been improving at the plate. Both players have made highlight reel catches in center and from what I’ve seen, neither one is that much better than the other on defense.
So if you don’t trust Cedeno’s .970 career fielding percentage at second base, maybe you can put him in center and keep Fontenot or DeRosa at second (I prefer DeRosa).
Regardless of how Piniella handles it, I think he should stick with Johnson and option Pie to Triple-A after Scott Eyre comes back to the team. Maybe Pie can find his grove. Then, if Johnson struggles more, you can bring a rejuvinated and confident Pie back to the big club and reap the benefits.
I’m not the only person to suggest this move, but I do think it’s the best option for Piniella.
