Cubs Live
By Mike McFarland ---------- When the Cubs signed outfielder Jon Jay for $8 million, the organization was dealing with the stress of possibly waving goodbye to catalyst Dexter Fowler. Fowler eventually signed with the rival Cardinals for five years and $82.5 million, including a no-trade clause. The stress continued when Joe Maddon announced that he would slot Kyle Schwarber into the leadoff spot to open the season. Schwarber scuffled in the unfamiliar spot, hitting well below .200 and getting on base at just a .296 clip. Maddon tried other options, including Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and Anthony Rizzo. Maddon's wacky tactics seemed like they might come through for him when Rizzo excelled leading off games. But Maddon continued to mix and match with this lineup, and finally seems to have found his leadoff man in Jay. In Jay, the ever-unorthodox Maddon has given in to a more traditional plug in the one hole. Jay isn't, by any means, an especially flashy player. However, he's batting .290 this season with with an excellent .375 OBP through Sept. 21. His power numbers don't reflect the game's direction of the long ball (he only has two home runs) but these numbers are unimportant with a player like Jay. Most importantly, Jay can be the spark plug that ignites that rest of the lineup at the top. His ability to extend at bats and play all-out style baseball in the field should be a key component to the success of the team in the remainder of the season. Jay's incredible 15 pitch at bat Friday night showed us exactly how a hitter sets the table for hitters that follow. He fowled off 10 straight pitches with a 2-2 count and 11 total, culminating in a line drive single to right field. The at bat drove Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff's pitch count up and Jay came around to score on Ben Zobrist's base hit to put the Cubs in front 4-3. All in all, Jon Jay is an absolute steal for this organization, especially compared with the contract the Cardinals are now committed to with Fowler. If the Cubs indeed make the playoffs, Jay can hopefully ignite the Cubs offense, who will need a fire set under them to compete with the likes of the Washington Nationals or Los Angeles Dodgers. But for now, Jay is proving to be a vital ingredient in the Cubs' part in the division race.
1 Comment
Jeremy Morar
9/23/2017 07:59:28 pm
Nice work Mikey! Great read! Keep up the good work! Can't wait to read more!
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Kyle MalzhanFounder who is an aspiring journalist who covers the Chicago Cubs daily. Archives
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