Life on Top

According to the preseason prognosticators, one of the Cubs' glaring weaknesses was supposed to be the leadoff spot.

Manager Mike Quade decided to go with a leadoff man-by-committee approach op open the season, and through the campaign's first 12 games, it has paid huge dividends.

I enjoyed the informative breakout box that accompanied Gordon Wittenmyer's column in Friday's Chicago Sun-Times that illustrated the Cubs' success at the top of the order.

Entering Friday's play, the Cubs were leading the majors in leadoff batting average (.480), on-base percentage (.544), and slugging percentage (.640).

The statistics of the Cubs' leadoff hitters:

Kosuke Fukudome 4 GS/.385 (5-for-13)/6 BB/R/.579 OBP

Jeff Baker 4 GS/.438 (7-for-16)/0 BB/2 R/.438 OBP

Starlin Castro 4 GS/.579 (11-for-19)/BB/5 R/.600 OBP

Alfonso Soriano 0 GS/.500 (1-for-2)/0 BB/0 R/.500 OBP

Totals 12 G/.480 (24-for-50)/7 BB/8 R/.544 OBP

The shame of it, though, was that the Cubs managed just a 6-6 record during a stretch that included nine games against three of the National League's weaker teams. The schedule, beginning with Friday's game at Colorado, had become a bit tougher.