Chicago Cubs: Joe Maddon giving Soler night off

Why giving Soler the night off after a rough series is a good thing 

Jorge Soler started off the season great for the Chicago Cubs. He was hitting well, showing patients at the plate, taking the walks when offered, running hard, and playing great defense. But over the last week he’s hit a bump in the road and found himself in a rough slump.

On April 21 Soler was batting .327, then he went into a 0-for-15 slump that knocked his average down to .257. The toughest part of that 0-for-15 was that 10 of those at bats were strikeouts, at stat in which he is leading MLB in with 38. He has been able to bounce back some from the slump with a current three-game hitting streak that he’s 5-for-12 in, but again five of the seven outs he recorded are K’s.

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon doesn’t seem too concerned with Soler’s hitting right now. He has to have a great deal of confidence in him by batting him in the No.2 spot of the lineup – that is usually saved for a consistent and reliable bat which Soler is.

"“I just think that with the great start that he has had, he’s probably just pressing a little bit more,” said Maddon, “All he needs to do is take your walks. … He doesn’t need to make adjustments physically – feet, arms, hands, head, whatever. His adjustment has to come from the fact that, `I’m going to accept my walks.’ And once he comes to terms with that he’ll take off again.” Joe Maddon – Gordon Wittenmyer Chicago Suntimes"

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Maddon is the perfect manager for Soler to go through this slump with. His approach to the game and to life itself will help the young outfielder understand that this isn’t a permanent thing that he is going through, that it is normal and he cannot let it stop him from being the type of player the Chicago Cubs know he will be.

Every hitter in baseball will go through a tough slump at one point in the season. How he’ll bounce back from it shows how mature he is and how much of a professional he’ll be.

This day off is probably exactly what the Cubs rookie needs. Tonight he can sit back and enjoy the game by watching his teammates go out there and playing. A good mental break may just be the trick to getting his bat back on track and cutting down on those wild swing and misses.

Next: Chicago Cubs: Swinging and missing too much