CHICAGO -- Bryan LaHair said Monday that he is more than happy to move to right field to make room in the lineup for Anthony Rizzo.

LaHair and Rizzo talked this spring about the prospects of having two power-heavy left-handed bats in the lineup at once and it’s about to become a reality on Tuesday.

“Yeah, that’s cool and we did talk about that quite a bit early in the spring,” LaHair said. “Two lefty power bats is always a good thing to have for a lineup.”

An unproven player like Rizzo getting so much hype before getting his first chance with a new organization could rub some people the wrong way, but LaHair said that from his vantage point, everybody in the clubhouse has been positive.

“I have been saying all along, the guys down there are our teammates and at some point we need every single one of them,” LaHair said. “You never know when we’re going to need them. They are our teammates and they are working hard down there wearing the Cubs logo and we’re working hard up here wearing the Cubs logo. When they come up here they just keep doing what they’re doing and stay focused.”


Since LaHair got his current big-league chance at age 29 after a long run in the minor leagues and Rizzo is getting his at age 22 after a hyped run through the minors, their situations seem drastically different. The similarities lie with both first struggling in the major leagues while getting their feet wet.

LaHair had a 45-game run with the Mariners in 2008, batting .250 with three home runs and 10 RBIs, but he had 40 strikeouts in 136 at-bats. Rizzo had a 49-game run with the Padres last season, batting .141 with one home run and nine RBIs.

LaHair thinks that despite the struggles, Rizzo will benefit from his previous taste of big-league life.

“It is good because I still think he believes he can hit here and I believed I could hit here,” LaHair said. “That little bit of experience is enough of a taste to understand what to expect when you do get here, all the excitement and the media and those kind of things. I think as long as he stays within himself and keeps doing what he’s doing, he should be OK.”

But how will he deal with the hype, the media attention and the expectations from fans who want something to wrap their arms around after the team has looked overmatched for three months?

“I think he can handle it,” LaHair said. “He has good character. He can handle it mentally. It seems like he is tough mentally. I think he will be all right as long as he stays within himself and continues to work hard.”