Cubs Live
Spring training is officially underway and personally I haven’t been this excited since the 2015 campaign. I don’t know if it’s the slow offseason (besides Yu Darvish), the putrid showing in the NLCS or the greater sense of hunger around the Cubs, but I am READY for the new campaign to start.
There are many questions that will be answered soon, such as who the opening day starter will be, what the rotation is going to look like in general, and what Ben Zobrist’s role will be this year. Today I am going to put together the best and most realistic everyday batting order for the Cubs. LEADOFF: Albert Almora Jr. (Center Field) One of the biggest problems for the 2017 Cubs was the lack of a leadoff hitter. Sure, we discovered that Anthony Rizzo was the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, but we need stability and consistency. Almora isn’t Dexter Fowler, but he is a solid contact hitter that will only improve with more experience. He needs to start every day at CF and could become a reliable leadoff hitter over time. SECOND: Kris Bryant (Third Base) Unless it’s a day designed for rest, Bryant is going to be in the lineup every game at third base. You can put him anywhere between second, third or fourth in the order, but his career batting average of .309 at second is hard to argue against. THIRD: Anthony Rizzo (First Base) Similar to Bryant, Rizzo will be in the lineup nearly every game. He can be slotted anywhere between second through fourth in the order as well, but he has the most experience batting third and I don’t expect that to change. CLEANUP: Willson Contreras (Catcher) Contreras is on the brink of becoming an elite catcher and I believe 2018 will be the year he reaches that next level. He has spent most of his career batting fourth and his on base percentage (.390) from there is exceptional. The 2-3-4 hitters should be the easiest to decide for the Cubs in 2018. FIFTH: Kyle Schwarber (Left Field) The Kyle Schwarber leadoff experiment is a well-known failure of the 2017 campaign, but did you know that he has a career OBP of .368 batting fifth? Schwarber is going to bounce back in 2018 and he belongs in the lineup as much as possible. Batting behind Contreras in a position where he has historically excelled will be a great fit for him. SIXTH: Jason Heyward (Right Field) This is where things get complicated. Life would be easier if we were able to use Ian Happ or even Zobrist here, but the bottom line is that Heyward is going to play the majority of the games because of his defense. While he is a liability at the plate, he surprisingly has a career OPS of .837 hitting out of the sixth spot over 637 plate appearances. The last thing I expect is for an OPS above .800 from Heyward in 2018, but you might as well put him where he’s found the most success. SEVENTH: Addison Russell (Shortstop) Russell has established himself as an everyday shortstop because of his elite defense. While his offensive plateau in 2017 is concerning, there were injuries/off the field issues that could have been the reason for this. Give him a clear mind and stick him in a spot where he has his highest career OBP (.338) and he may just become the hitter we believe he can be. EIGHTH: Javy Baez (Second Base) Russell and Baez need to start as many games together as possible and they need to be hitting alongside each other as well. The strike-out concerns for Baez are well-known by now and he often finds himself getting in trouble by always trying to be a hero. He batted eighth for most of the 2016 playoff run and supplemented himself as a Chicago legend in the process. Not only is his BA (.293) and OBP (.341) good out of this spot, he also has seven more home runs than when he bats seventh despite having 21 less plate appearances. Put Baez in a position where he doesn’t need to be a hero and he will excel. NINTH: Pitcher I don’t know what Joe Maddon is thinking and honestly nobody does, but this is the lineup that will give the Cubs the greatest chance at a championship in 2018. Throw in Happ, Zobrist and Tommy La Stella in for late-game replacements and this is a recipe for success.
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Kyle MalzhanFounder who is an aspiring journalist who covers the Chicago Cubs daily. Archives
April 2020
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