1 worrying Cubs spring training performance fans hope fades once Opening Day arrives

Ian Happ has been a model of consistency for the Chicago Cubs over the last four years, which is why there often isn't much time spent on his slump. At this point in his career, Happ is expected to go through a multiple-week stretch where he simply isn't carrying his weight offensively, but by the end of the season, his numbers almost always match the back of the baseball card. It's why he could be a coveted free agent next offseason.

It's why no one is probably going to think twice about Happ's struggles during spring training. In his first 33 plate appearances, Happ is slashing .172/.273/.345 with a wRC+ of 56. Noticeable dips across the board, but again, it's spring training.

As a reference, both Kyle Tucker and Dansby Swanson struggled in their first spring training with the Cubs and then were the team's hottest hitters once the respective seasons started. Veteran players are often working on one particular thing during spring training, and that is why most results need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Ian Happ has struggled during spring traning but he appears to be fine-tuning a specific area of his approach.

There's reason to believe that Happ has zeroed in on his plate discipline during spring training. He's matching his career walk rate this spring at 12.1%, but the tell is with his swing decisions.

Last season, Happ offered at 20.8% of the pitches thrown outside the strike zone. Through spring training, that mark is down to 17.5%. On the other side of the coin, last season, Happ swung at 63.3% of the pitches thrown to him inside the strike zone. That number is up to 75.7% during spring training. Not to mention, overall, his swing percentage is up by nearly 5% this spring.

The takeaway is that Happ might be planning to attack more pitches in thes the strike zone this season rather than drawing out plate appearances. With Tucker no longer with the Cubs, an aggressive version of Happ could be useful, as long as it's productive. The concern with this approach is that his line-drive rate is 8.7% this spring. His career mark is 20.7%.

It's only 33 plate appearances, so there's no real reason to sound alarms. Happ is a streaky player, though, so spring training could suggest that one of his cold spells will be in order once Opening Day arrives next week.