Chicago Cubs: Examining the team’s options in the leadoff spot

Heyward, producing, a potential leadoff hitter?

As Chicago Cubs fans, we’re becoming particularly greedy individuals.

Chicago Cubs

Win a World Series? Done. Now why haven’t you gone 25-6 in the first month like you did last season? That’s unacceptable. That same twisted mindset has taken hold in the minds of more than a few fans regarding outfielder Jason Heyward.

After putting up disappointing numbers in his first season with the Cubs, Heyward appears to have turned a corner mentally at the plate. Flirting with a .270 average and hitting the ball harder than any other Chicago Cubs player one month in, the former first-rounder is again a threat.

The simple truth is this: the Cubs aren’t likely to use him as a leadoff hitter in 2017. It’s not a matter of his ability, but similar to Schwarber, the team won’t want to tweak with his approach – especially after his struggles last season.

This guy is a true professional. He comes to the diamond ready to help his team. He does so with his Gold Glove defense and, more recently, by driving the ball all over the diamond.

"“It’s physical,” Maddon told CSN Chicago, “because he’s always been that guy. He’s great in the clubhouse. He’s always there in the present tense. He plays hard, all that stuff. But if you just took a snapshot standing in the box last year and this year – just where he’s starting from – it’s incredibly different. It’s where he’s starting the bat. That’s it.”"

Next: How does this year's offense compare to last season's?