Mike FontenotMike Fontenot was drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2001. He was traded 02-02-2005 to the Chicago Cubs (along with Jerry Hairston, Jr.) for Sammy Sosa. He played only a few games in 2005 and spent most of the year and all of 2006 in the minors. He was called up in June 2007 and finished out the year. He continued on the roster for 2008 and 2009. He has been used primarily as a utility infielder, filling in for spots at 2nd base and third base. He hit well for remainder of 2007 and hit over .300 for his time in 2008. He is a needed left handed bat and has surprising power, hitting 9 home runs in just 243 at bats in 2008. He has shown that he is a good utility infielder not prone to making a lot of errors. He has been platooned with other infielders in 2008 and 2009 is trying to make the starting lineup. The Cubs just have not found the second baseman that they need as they have tried a number of different players. So far Mike Fontenot has not made that next step. In 2009 he has filled in at third base with Aramis Ramirez on the DL with a separated shoulder. But the bat has not been there to warrant continued support of every day play in 2009. The team as a whole has had problems scoring runs. Unfortunately, Fontenot has not been the solution so far. But then again either has anyone else. The Cubs have tried to fill the 2nd base slot but no one has really stepped up offensively. There are a number of defensive players in the system but no one at this point has made an impression at the plate. Fontenot has proven his worth by filling in at third and platooned at 2nd base. He needs to climb to the next level if he expects to be in the starting line up. He hit over .300 last year, but this year, along with the team, he is not hitting like he did. Only about .230 and with that his RBI total is down also. For the record, as a total package Fontenot and Theriot make a good double play combination. Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot were teammates together while playing for the Louisiana State baseball team and were the teams double play combination when they won the College World Series in 2000
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