You know Bryan LaHair by now, right?
Triple A stud.
Last year with the .331 and the 109 RBIs and the 38 home runs?
Pacific Coast League MVP.
Won the Joe Bauman Home Run award last year.
Big strong lefty hitting 240 pounder.
That guy.
The first round of Theo Epstein dust has just settled, and LaHair's the guy still standing on first base.
It's his.
There's no D. Lee or Carlos Pena or even Jeff Baker in the way.
Yeah, there's a guy from The Future attached at the hip with GM Jed Hoyer, Anthony Rizzo, but for now first base belongs to LaHair.
And of course it's early, but it seems that Bryan is pressing a bit:
After 7 games, he's 3 for 20 with one measly RBI.
I say take a deep breath there, Bry.
Relax.
You've been working for this chance since you were drafted by the Mariners in 2002, and I'd like to see you succeed for a couple reasons.
The first is that it would just be awesome.
If you were able to take your minor league numbers and even semi-replicate them in the Bigs it would just be a great story.
The second reason is I'd rather young Mr. Rizzo start the season in Iowa as planned.
Let him get some at bats down there and the feel of his new midwestern surroundings.
There's plenty of pressure on that kid, too.
If Bryan LaHair does his job, he'll be rewarded somehow.
Wouldn't it be great to have a sort of re-make of the Rafael Palmeiro/Mark Grace first base fight?
Somebody wins and keeps the job, and somebody gets traded and starts elsewhere...
Ahhh, but that's all down the road.
For right now, Bryan LaHair, take a deep breath.
Relax.
And then get up there and smack the ball to Flagstaff.
Lastly, I broke a sweat walking 3 blocks in downtown Chicago today.
It's freaking SUMMER IN MARCH!
