Not just that, but we've learned that Ryan Theriot is likely to bat first in the lineup(as expected), and Ted Lilly, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery, could be ready to go by Mid-April:
Piniella said Theriot will likely be the lead-off man, with Kosuke Fukudome batting second.
The Cubs are now saying that Lilly will hopefully be ready sometime between April 15 to May 1. "He's already told me I'm going to be ready early this year," Piniella said.Link(Chicago Breaking Sports)
Let's hope Theriot is a lot more like his 2008 self where he had a .387 on-base percentage, rather than his 2009 self where a fluke power surge in May screwed up his plate approach, and he finished with just a .343 on-base percentage. We know Kosuke Fukudome is going to see a lot of pitches and get on base at a high clip, so you could make a great case that he should be batting first instead of Theriot, especially since we don't know which Theriot we're getting.
As for Lilly, well, we'll have to wait and see. We've heard this talk from the Cubs before in regards to injured pitchers, only to not see the pitcher return until June. We also don't really know anything conclusive until Lilly actually throws off a mound, which he's yet to do. It sounds encouraging though, and the Cubs absolutely need Lilly to make around 30 starts to compete in the National League Central.
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