Schumaker to 2nd Base!!??

I believe John Mozeliak has mentioned it a couple of times before but Matt Leach of mlb.com recently reported that the Cardinals will be trying out Skip Schumaker at 2nd base in spring training. For many, this is a fantasy come true. We can now dream of a top of the lineup like this:

1: Skip Schumaker-2B
2: Colby Rasmus-CF

And not be laughed at....well, hopefully.
Schumaker still has to prove he can actually handle the position and Rasmus needs to beat out Chris Duncan for a spot in the outfield(sadly, I don't think I'm joking) but the possibility is exciting.

The one question that really needs to be asked is who, between Kennedy and Schumaker, will bat against lefties?

Kennedy posted a nice average against lefties last season(.270) but his other numbers weren't good at all: .299 OBP, .297 SLG
And check out Kennedy's last two seasons against southpaws:
2007: .122/.200/.195 in 41 ABs
2006: .193/.256/.277 in 83 ABs

Small sample sizes, yes. But I think there is a reason for that. Kennedy is only a singles hitter and not a very good singles hitter against left handers.

Now lets see what Schumaker did against guys who throw with the wrong arm last year:
.168/.238/.185, 2 extra base hits in 119 ABs

Either the Cardinals are putting a lot of stock into what Schumaker did in 2007 against southpaws in a really small sample size(9 for 24) or they are hoping Kennedy finds the magic he had against lefties in 2004(.720 OPS) and 2005(.296 avg, .684 OPS).
Or perhaps they are hoping Bo Hart errr...I mean Brendan Ryan can get over a very poor 2008 season and hit like he did in 2007. Or maybe Joe Thurston is the next Brandon Phillips. What do you say, Joe? You think you got it in ya?

There is no doubt moving Schumaker to second base is going to be a great move on most nights. The guy kills right handers and having both he and Rasmus in a lineup against righties will give us a great, deep lineup.

I'm just wondering which 2nd baseman will draw the short stick and get the majority of the ABs against left handers. I have to believe whoever it is will be a major downgrade from Aaron Miles who hit .315 with a .755 OPS against lefties last season.

Also, I'm wondering if taking Schumaker out of the lineup against right handers on some nights, perhaps a lot of nights if Rasmus does indeed earn a spot in spring training(otherwise inset Duncan's name) will be that beneficial. I'd have to imagine TLR won't give Kennedy the complete shaft and not let him play against right handers and since Rasmus and Ankiel are lefty swingers and Ludwick crushes righties, Schumaker will find himself on the bench a lot more when the Cardinals are facing his favorite kind of pitcher.

Shifting Schumaker to 2nd base should be a move that will get the most out of our resources against righthander pitchers.
But when you look at it, moving Schumaker to 2nd base might not be the best move for getting the most out of him or putting a better lineup on the field against lefthanders than what we had in 2008. Mainly because of Aaron Miles' absence.