Cubs make room for slugger Bryan LaHair
The Cubs didn't exactly bring up the kids Friday.
Heck, they didn't even bring up a kid.
What they did was select the contract of journeyman first baseman Bryan LaHair from Class AAA Iowa. The promotion was most likely a reward for a good season, which LaHair certainly enjoyed in Des Moines and other stops around the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
LaHair, who will be 29 in November, had a monster year, putting up an average/on-base/slugging line of .331/.405/.664 with a club-record 38 home runs to go along with 109 RBI.
“I'm just going to have fun,” said LaHair, who is in his ninth season of professional ball. “I don't want to change too much. I just kind of want to do my stuff and have fun with the guys. It's truly an honor. I'm just real happy to be here and happy to be a Cub. It's a real honor to wear this uniform, so I'm real excited about it.
“I was consistent most of the year. I just try to hit balls hard. I try to get good pitches to hit, hit balls hard, and good things happen.”
It's been a fun season for LaHair, who had 45 games of big-league experience, all with Seattle in 2008. LaHair was named the PCL Most Valuable Player along with being the I-Cubs' MVP.
The left-handed hitting LaHair had plenty of fun during batting practice, parking plenty of balls into the right-field bleachers.
But don't expect LaHair to get a whole lot of starts. The Cubs have Carlos Pena, also a left-handed batter, at first base. Pena hit his 25th home run of the season in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs also may want Pena back next season, so it's a delicate balancing act.
“I talked to 'Los,” manager Mike Quade said, referring to Pena. “We'll pick a game here and there for Bryan. He's played some outfield. We asked him to do a little bit of that. Maybe we give Sori (left fielder Alfonso Soriano) a day. We'll mix and match because with him and (Tyler) Colvin and the rest of it, it's not something where he's going to play every day, but he'll get some opportunities. Obviously, we'll use him off the bench.
“You figure out each day how you can best do it. You talk to your veterans. Last year, I know we had a couple of kids days where we played them all. I remember a day in Florida where we beat the daylights out of them. We'll look for those opportunities. I still think the experience here, whatever it is, is valuable to all of them, however they're used. We'll try and keep them involved the best we can.”
Pena took it well, calling LaHair “a personal friend” and saying the two talked hitting “back and forth.”
“I'm a teammate first,” Pena said. “He had an unbelievable year at Triple-A, and he deserves to be up here.”
Major-league teams are allowed to expand their rosters beyond 25 beginning Sept. 1. More players will be coming after the minor-league regular seasons end on Labor Day. It's a good bet the Cubs will bring up some pitching, such as relievers Chris Carpenter and John Gaub.
Most teams carry three catchers in September. However, Welington Castillo is on the disabled list at Iowa. The Cubs may wait to see how he comes along. If Castillo can't play, the Cubs may call up Steve Clevenger, but they may wait until the playoffs are over for Class AA Tennessee.
“Right now, I think with where we're at, physically we're trying to look at people who are trying to finish up the season healthy,” Quade said. “We talked about some folks, but I think we're going to wait until the season ends at Iowa to make further decisions. And also, if there's opportunity at the Double-A level, they're in the playoffs. I'd like to see those kids finish.”