Cubs hoping steady DeJesus leads the way

It has been seven years since the Cubs said a not-so-tearful goodbye to Sammy Sosa.

And for seven years they've mostly failed to find a productive hitting right fielder.

First, there was Jeromy Burnitz. Then there was Jacque Jones. And then there was Kosuke Fukudome. Each had his moments, but none really worked out.

The Cubs are going a different way this year with David DeJesus. Instead of somebody who can provide power from one of the corner outfield spots, they see DeJesus as their leadoff man, all that talk about Alfonso Soriano batting first notwithstanding.

DeJesus' signing to a two-year contract in November was another case of the new Cubs front office taking a chance on a comeback year by a player who has decent career stats.

In 131 games with Oakland last year, DeJesus put up a line of .240/.323/.376 with 10 home runs. He was returning from a sprained right thumb that ended his 2010 season with Kansas City early.

For his career, DeJesus has a line of .284/.356/.421, with the .356 on-base percentage more in line with what the Cubs need from a leadoff hitter.

Here are the burning issues with DeJesus and right field for the Cubs this year.

Leading man:

You can forget that talk about Soriano batting first. It was an idea manager Dale Sveum floated recently in spring training.

"I know I scared you guys a little bit," Sveum told reporters in Arizona. "He (DeJesus) is really our only bona fide on-base guy who obviously can hit anybody," he said. "He hits left-handed. He brings all the intangibles that nobody else in the lineup really has."

DeJesus said he's all for it.

"It's exciting, the opportunity to go back to where I've been comfortable the last eight years of my career," he said earlier in camp. "I'm excited about it. I'm going to try to help the guys out throughout the lineup, see some pitches and try to get on base and help us manufacture runs, not by hitting home runs, but by getting guys over and things like that."

DeJesus has decent speed, but he's not a stolen-base threat, with just 4 in 7 chances last year with Oakland.

"Average speed, poor SB percentage indicate double-digit steals gone for good," writes Ron Shandler's 2012 Baseball Forecaster.

Splitsville:

The left-handed hitting DeJesus had a tough year against left-handed pitchers last year, with a line of .174/.227/.231. Against righties, he put up a line of .265/.357/.430. For his career, he's a .264 hitter against left-handed pitching and a .292 hitter against righties.

"Last year, he did struggle against left-handed pitching," said Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer when he signed DeJesus. "We look at last year, it certainly wasn't his finest year. We look at what he did the previous years. We don't see him as a platoon player."

What Hoyer said encouraged the Cubs were DeJesus' second-half splits, when he went .270/.342/.438 after going just .220/.310/.333 before the all-star break.

"His second half was much stronger than his first half, which made us feel real good," Hoyer said. "We look at players over the last 3-4 years, not just focused on that last year."

Health and intangibles:

Perhaps the second-half rebound by DeJesus last year was due to his hand regaining health and full strength.

Without any other viable leadoff options, especially if the Cubs are intent on having shortstop Starlin Castro bat third, it will be important for DeJesus to stay healthy and play every day.

"My job coming here is to be a guy that … they can trust, who is going to play through injuries," he said. "I want to be a guy in the lineup every day. You just want to go out there and be a great teammate."

Despite the reputation that Cubs president Theo Epstein and Hoyer have as being stats geeks, they seem to value the intangibles players bring to a club and to a clubhouse.

"He's someone that if you watch him play, you're going to admire him as a player because he goes about it the right way," Epstein said. "He's really well-rounded. I tend to like those types of players. You can't necessarily point to anything with David and say, 'Hey, this guy's going to hit you 30 home runs,' because he's not. You can't say he's going to hit .320 because outside of one year, he's not going to do that either. He's not going to steal you 40 bags.

"But, I like the players whose contribution is consistent across the board to help you defensively, swing the bat with good consistent at-bats, can run the bases well. The totality of their contribution can be equal to or more than the player who does one thing."

Tops in the NL

Bruce Miles ranks the right fielders:

1. Justin Upton, Diamondbacks

2. Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

3. Jay Bruce, Reds

13. David DeJesus, Cubs

Steve Slowinski of Fangraphs.com: DeJesus is no star outfielder and his name doesn't conjure up images of diving catches or towering home runs, but he's a quietly productive and underrated player. He's no whiz with the bat … but he makes up for it by being an above average baserunner and defensive outfielder.