A familiar face for Kansas City Royals fans has landed in the Windy City as the first major acquisition on the books under the much hyped Theo Epstein regime. David DeJesus, a longtime outfielder for the Kansas City Royals in the years we will eventually refer to as Pre-Hosmer, signed a two year deal with the Chicago Cubs yesterday for $10 million, giving the team their starting right fielder.
For years, Royals fans were used to DeJesus making great contact with the ball and getting on base at a good clip. They also quickly became accustomed to DeJesus' fantastic defensive abilities in the outfield. While he kept up the latter, the former dropped off while he was with the Oakland Athletics last season with a .240 batting average to go with 10 home runs and 46 RBI. The .323 OBP was also a career low. Just for some perspective, the previous year in KC, DeJesus had a .310/.384/.443 line.
It's difficult to know what the Cubs should expect from DeJesus, but a return to some normalcy around .280 is a likely bet and it's possible he becomes a solid .300 hitter slotted in the No. 2 position in the line-up. His defense will continue to be a strong asset for the team and he's still only 32-years-old.
‘‘We feel David’s a player that does a lot of things real well,’’ Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said. ‘‘He hits right-handed pitching very well; he’s a strong defender in right field who runs the bases well. He doesn’t strike out. All those are areas we’re looking to improve on the club.’’
DeJesus is definitely the kind of well-rounded player without any significant weaknesses who can be an unheralded yet necessary asset to the club. The Cubs made a very strong signing for their first move under Epstein -- one that should pay dividends in ways fans will both appreciate and not even notice.