Let the MLB Hot Stove season in Chicago commence! It begins with the Chicago Cubs landing outfielder David DeJesus. He signed a two-year deal with a club option for the 2014 campaign.
DeJesus joins the Cubs after nine seasons with Kansas City (2003-2010) and Oakland (2011), posting a career .284 batting average with 207 doubles, 50 triples, 71 home runs, 436 RBI and a .356 on-base percentage in 1,007 big league contests. He has averaged 33 doubles, eight triples, 11 home runs and 70 RBI per 162 games in his career.
DeJesus began his career as a center fielder, playing 497 games in that position through the 2008 season, but played 139 games in left field in 2009 and 186 games in right field from 2010-11. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound 31 year old carried a 241-game errorless streak into the 2011 campaign, the longest active streak among big league outfielders at the time, before posting a .984 fielding percentage last season with Oakland (only four errors in 250 total chances). He can play either corner outfield position.
The left-handed batter and thrower is a career .292 hitter (768-for-2,627) vs. right-handed pitching and has a .345 mark (82-for-238) against National League Central competition. Overall, DeJesus has posted a .325 batting average (150-for-461) in 123 games vs. the National League in interleague play and has a .305 batting average (111-for-364) with a .409 on-base percentage with runners in scoring position and two outs.