Chicago Cubs: Six keys to the Cubs success in 2017

A new start for Heyward

It didn’t take long for Jason Heyward to try and rectify his poor season at the plate for the Cubs. While many of the Cubs were making their celebration tour, Heyward moved to Arizona and went to work with hitting coach John Mallee and Eric Hinske. The biggest part of the problem? Heyward saw more fastballs than he had in his career prior (65.2%), but couldn’t hit them. Popouts and slow rollers to second base littered his scoresheets.

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Heyward has his hands in a better hitting position in his new stance, and the hope is he’ll be quicker through the zone.  As a hitter, you can struggle to hit a slider or breaking ball–but you have to take advantage of fastball counts. Even when Heyward could work his way into one, his ability to hit a fastball was non-existent.

With Dexter Fowler gone and a platoon system possible in center field, the Cubs will need Heyward to return more to the player he was in 2015 with the Cardinals (.293, 13 HR, 60 RBI) over the 2016 version with the Cubs (.230, 7 HR, 49 RBI). With his Gold Glove defense, he won’t need to hit .300 and drive in 80. It wouldn’t hurt, but it isn’t necessary. They simply need him to put the ball in play and help move runners–something that was a struggle last year.