[bears9]

CHICAGO -- The Cubs will have two new faces in the outfield on Opening Day, and an extra three feet.
Alfonso Soriano, Felix Pie and Kosuke Fukudome are projected as the starters in left, center and right, respectively, for the season opener.
This will be Soriano's second year in Chicago, Pie hopes to make it his first Opening Day start, while Fukudome was the offseason prize the Cubs locked up in December with a four-year, $48 million deal.

The three feet? That's the extra footage added to Wrigley Field's warning track after an offseason project to improve the drainage system. Will it matter? Soriano thinks so -- he'll get a little more heads-up before he hits that brick wall.
Outfielders gauge where the wall is by feel, and the change from grass to dirt gives them a heads up. Expect to see Soriano, Fukudome and others working with coach Mike Quade this spring to prepare them for the change. Soriano does have a good arm, but the converted second baseman continues to be tested in the outfield. He finished tied for first in the National League with 19 assists. Entering the second year of his eight-year deal with the Cubs, Soriano should feel more at home in Chicago. He hit .299 with 33 homers and 70 RBIs last season, including 12 leadoff long balls, the most by a Cubs player in a single season. The Friendly Confines weren't so friendly for Soriano, as he hit .274 at Wrigley compared to .325 on the road.

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