How about this one?
Shawon Dunston returns to the lineup in September to help the Cubs in the stretch drive for the National League East championship. But instead of going back to his accustomed spot at shortstop, Dunston joins Andre Dawson and Sammy Sosa in the outfield.
Sound far-fetched?
Maybe. Maybe not.
The Cubs have approached Dunston about making a move to the outfield when he returns from back surgery. And Dunston hasn`t ruled out the possibility.
”He came to us and said he`d be willing to do anything to help the team,” said manager Jim Lefebvre. ”It`s something we`ve talked about. It`s a possibility.”
Dunston was a third baseman in high school and played third a few games his first professional season after being picked by the Cubs first overall in the 1982 amateur draft.
But he moved to shortstop his first season, and hasn`t played another position since.
A move to the outfield now, however, makes sense for a number of reasons. First, it would put far less strain on Dunston`s back, which he hurt last winter and had surgery on in May.
Second, he has all the tools to be a superb outfielder-great instincts, excellent speed and one of the strongest arms in baseball.
And, third, the Cubs suddenly find themselves with a lot of depth at shortstop. They are so deep, in fact, that Jose Vizcaino, Dunston`s backup the last two seasons, is backing up new starting shortstop Rey Sanchez.
Either Vizcaino or Sanchez could start at shortstop for a number of major-league teams if they prove they can hit major-league pitching. And the Cubs still have Alex Arias, another top prospect, waiting at Triple-A Iowa. Arias is hitting .267 with an impressive .347 on-base average.
This spring, when the Cubs were scrambling for a leadoff hitter, Lefebvre and General Manager Larry Himes approached Dunston about taking over the job. Dunston had tried it before, under former manager Don Zimmer, and never liked batting leadoff. Nor did he do particularly well at it.
But after discussing the situation with Lefebvre and Himes, Dunston agreed to give the leadoff job another shot. And, this time, he excelled.
Before he went on the disabled list to have back surgery May 13, Dunston led the Cubs in hitting with a .315 average and a .342 on-base average.
”He has approached us and said he will go to the outfield if necessary,” said Lefebvre. ”It`s not a bad idea. It sure would be a heckuva lot better on his bat.”
And although no one in the Cubs` organization would say it-because no one wants it to happen-Dunston could fill a big hole in the outfield if Dawson leaves at the end of the season.
A similar move from shortstop to the outfield several years ago has prolonged the career of Milwaukee`s Robin Yount. Yount played short for the Brewers for 11 seasons and finally switched to the outfield after undergoing shoulder surgery twice.
Yount`s last three seasons at shortstop, he played only an average of 134 games a year. He played at least 158 games five of the first seven years he was an outfielder.
And, one final note: It`s not unprecedented for an All-Star shortstop to move to another position at Wrigley Field. A guy named Ernie Banks did it in the 1960s, going from short to first.
No go: Coming into the weekend, the Cubs were tied for last in the league in stolen bases with 47 in 100 games. That comes as a disappointment for Lefebvre and dugout coach Tom Trebelhorn, both of whom came into spring training determined to make the Cubs a better running team. But the cold, hard truth is, the Cubs can`t run. With Dunston down and Sosa out for 38 games with a broken hand, the Cubs` most-effective base stealer was Ryne Sandberg with eight thefts.
”You can`t run if you don`t have the runners,” said Lefebvre. ”It`s frustrating. But it was really frustrating when we weren`t scoring runs. We weren`t getting people on base, so we didn`t have the chance to steal. Then, when we did get someone on, it didn`t do any good to try to steal. If we made it and we had Dawson or one of our good hitters coming up, the other manager would just walk him to get to a weak hitter. We couldn`t win.”
Runs in the family: Montreal`s Marquis Grissom alone has more stolen bases
(54) than the entire Cubs team. And he may not even be the best baserunner in his family. Grissom`s brother, Antonio, has 43 stolen bases in just 30 games for the Albany Polecats of the Class A South Atlantic League.
Turk trouble: Looks like Turk Wendell won`t be making his Cubs major-league debut this season. The colorful right-hander who chews licorice on the mound and waves to his center-fielder before every inning has had another setback. Wendell went 7-1 with a 0.94 earned-run average in winter ball and was off to a 2-0 start (1.44 ERA) at Triple-A Iowa when he was sidelined with a stress fracture of his right elbow. He was expected to be out 10 weeks, but doctors discovered another hairline fracture when he tried to return. He probably will be out the rest of the season.
Around the League: Mets pitchers have thrown 10 shutouts this season. The catcher in every one of them was Todd Hundley, son of former Cub Randy Hundley. . . . Dodgers Triple-A catcher Mike Piazza has the longest hitting streak in the Pacific Coast League this season-24 games. Piazza is the godson of Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda. . . . Darren Daulton needs two more stolen bases to become the first Phillies catcher in 65 years to steal 10 in a season. The last time it was done was in 1927 by Jimmy Wilson, who had 13. . . . Speaking of catchers, Kirt Manwaring of the Giants is the toughest guy in the league to steal against. Manwaring has thrown out 39 of the 73 runners (53.4 percent) who tried to run on him.
