So Now We've Got Omar Infante...

With no news today, this is a good chance for me to weigh in on a trade recently made by the Cubs... trading Jacque Jones to the Detroit Tigers for shortstop Omar Infante. Infante provides some power, a real asset as a shortstop. He is also versatile, with experience at second and third base too. Infante will be great when the wind blows out; extra power hitting is needed on those days! If the Cubs are really lucky, he may have a career year like he did in 2004, when he hit 16 homers and batted .264. One thing about Infante; he is younger than you think. Even this year, he will only be 26. So there is still time for him to improve. With the switch from spacious Comerica to Wrigley and the 368-foot left field power alley, Infante just might hit 20 if he wins the starting job.

He has good range in the field, playing a good shortstop. He was blocked in Detroit at that position by Carlos Guillen; and now the Tigers wanted to go a different direction this season, with Guillen moving to first base and Edgar Renteria acquired to take over at shortstop. This made Infante expendable. It is tough to hit for power in Comerica, but that is pretty much all Infante brings to the table offensively. With a spacious pitchers' park like Detroit has, it definitely made sense to go get Renteria.

I will miss Jacque Jones; in 2006, his first of two seasons here, he hit for power well, hitting 27 homers. This past year, he had a very unlikely second half; after a miserable first half in right field, offensively and with throwing defensively, he moved to an unfamiliar position in center, played it well, and also came back offensively. Jones brought his average to .285, same as the previous year, and with a nearly identical OBP, .335 in 2007, after .334 in 2006. He handled himself with class, dealing with the boo birds of Wrigley, who honestly pick on the Cubs' black players predictably if they start slowly. (One example- LaTroy Hawkins). I remain impressed by his attitude, and handling of the situation. He never quit on himself or his team.