Chicago Cubs: Who can fill the shoes of Dexter Fowler?

The Chicago Cubs have not been 51-30 at the midway point of a season since 1977. If your mind is unable to bring that summer into memory, think of names like Bruce Sutter, Bill Buckner and Rick Reuschel.

The Cubs took off out of the gate that season at full sprint. They led their division by as many as 8 1/2 games. If hearing those names helped you recall the memorable start to 1977, then you also remember the turmoil which followed. Throughout the last 93 games of the season, the Cubs went 34-59, knocking them back into fourth place.

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I choose to believe with everything I have inside of me that there is no way anything close to that could happen this year. However, after being swept and outscored 32-11 during their trip to New York, as Cubs fans, we can’t help but automatically start bracing ourselves. I can’t ever remember being this happy to have the Cincinnati Reds in town for a series. Hopefully, this is the start of the Cubs getting back on track.

If the Cubs want to keep 1977 from repeating itself, there are a few things that need to be addressed. For starters, Chicago has not been the same without the bat of Dexter Fowler, who will be out of the lineup until after the All-star Break. Fowler has hit .291 and has a .397 on-base percentage and his slugging percentage is also pretty good at .485.

The Cubs have gone 5-9 since Fowler got injured and are 8-12 for the season without him in the lineup. The players Chicago has put in his place during his absence have combined to hit .267, have an on-base percentage of .341, and a slugging percentage of .390. While the events that played out in New York in no way, shape or form fall on the shoulders of Fowler, Joe Maddon has to find a reliable bat to fill in the outfield until Fowler’s return.

Another issue the Cubs face in the batter’s box has been the decline in production from Ben Zobrist. Throughout the last 20 games, he has put up numbers of .219/.321/.397. Throughout the first 50 games of the season, those numbers were .324/.431/.500. Although he was able to put together a 3 game, multi-hitting streak within the last week, he is definitely not as reliable with a bat as he was earlier in the season.

I am a writer. I feel insufficient to point out anything that a professional athlete is doing wrong. My only is point is that before we go trading off our bullpen or trading away the player who played a huge part of the heroic second half of last season to add a new arm to the team, let’s give the pitchers a break for about two or three minutes and look at the situation for what it is.

Next: Is trading Schwarber the answer?

The Cubs are one of the best teams in the majors. They have a respectable lead in the NL central. They got off to a fast and amazing start this year. Every player in the lineup has a right to get tired and slow down a little. And on top of all that, we start a 3 game series today against the Reds. Surely things will be back on track real soon.