Last month in an interview with WGN radio, Chicago Cubs’ President Theo Epstein said Bryan LaHair was his first baseman in 2012. This came as kind of a surprise considering that many thought the Cubs would be big players for then free agents Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.

But Epstein wasn’t joking as the Cubs weren’t major players for either Pujols or Fielder and it appears unless something major happens, LaHair will be playing first base for the Cubs come Opening Day. Not only will LaHair be playing first, but he will most likely be batting cleanup as well.

So the question is; Who exactly is Bryan LaHair?

LaHair is what baseball pundits might call a “Quadruple-A” player. He has always been really good in the minors, but never considered good enough to be an everyday player in the Major Leagues. He’s the Cubs version of Kila Ka’aihue or Jeff Manto back in the day.

LaHair has played in over 950 minor league games and last year, he was the Pacific Coast League’s MVP as he hit .331/.405/.664 with 38 home runs in 523 plate appearances. His monster year earned him a cup o’ coffee with the Cubs and he didn’t disappoint. He put up a .288/.377/.508 slash line in 69 PA’s.

At 29, it’s now or never for LaHair. The Cubs have already announced with that Anthony Rizzo will start at Triple-A, so LaHair has to really stink in order for the Cubs to replace him. But if LaHair gets off to a slow start, we will start to hear the Quadruple-A moniker over and over again.

Here are some other things you should know about Bryan LaHair…

Age: 29

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

College: None: Drafted out of Holy Name Central Catholic in Worcester, MA.

Drafted: 39th round of the 2002 June Draft by the Seattle Mariners.

Minor League Stats:

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By The Baseball Index