Chicago Cubs: Ian Happ is making it hard to send him back to Iowa

With Ian Happ‘s quick start to his major league career, the Chicago Cubs now have a tough decision on their hands regarding his future.

On Saturday, the Chicago Cubs called up their number-two prospect, Ian Happ. Before getting the call, Happ was tearing up Triple-A. In 26 games, Happ hit .298 with nine home runs and 25 RBI. The 22-year-old also recorded a .362 OBP and .615 slugging percentage.

Even though the youngster’s first game came at hostile Busch Stadium, Happ proved ready for the big leagues. With one mighty swing, he recorded his first major league hit, RBI and home run with a two-run shot off Carlos Martinez in the seventh inning of the Cubs’ loss to the Cardinals on Saturday.

The following day, Happ would go 2-for-4, but yet again the Cubs would fall to the rival Cardinals. Following an off-day, the Cubs opened a homestand by facing the Cincinnati Reds. In the fifth inning of the Cubs’ victory, Happ hit another home run for his second of the year. Happ was not done as he drew a walk with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to record his second RBI of the game.

Overall, Happ went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI and two walks. That solid effort pushed his slash line to .400/.538/1.100.

Despite going 0-for-3 with a run scored and a walk on Wednesday, Happ is still slashing .308/.471/.846 through his first four games. Even though those numbers will be hard to maintain throughout an entire season, Happ has produced enough to warrant more playing time at the major league level.

A tough decision has to be made

Ian Happ is a special player, there is no doubt about that. However, with the Cubs roster trending toward healthy, there may not be enough room for Happ on the roster.

Happ’s call-up was due in part to injuries to Addison Russell, Ben Zobrist, Jon Jay and Jason Heyward. Of the banged-up Cubs players, Heyward was the only one to spend time on the DL. The 27-year-old outfielder was scheduled to return from the disabled list on Tuesday. Despite that, his finger injury will require him to make a rehab start with the Cubs Single-A affiliate on Thursday.

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With Heyward’s extended stay on the DL, Happ will get an even better chance to prove he belongs in the majors.

Throughout his minor league career, Happ has shown the ability to play multiple positions. Even in his short time at the major league level, Happ has played all three outfield positions. The youngster will get his first start in left field on Thursday against the Reds.

Happ’s defensive versatility could make him a valuable part of the Cubs roster moving forward. After the Cubs parted ways with Matt Szczur, a bench role could be available to Happ once Heyward returns.

With the decline of Javier Baez (.228/.264/.430 in 35 games), Ben Zobrist will be left to hold down second base. That would mean Zobrist would be unable to fill-in for guys who need days off in the outfield. In turn, that would leave Happ to act as a fifth outfielder (behind Jon Jay) to provide depth for the Cubs.

Maybe the decision isn’t that hard after all

Despite Happ’s strong start, it is unrealistic to think he will stick on the big league roster. Both Jay (.296/.405/.366 in 33 games) and Albert Almora (.271/.326/.400 in 35 games) are off to strong starts while Heyward is showing signs of a bounce back year at the plate.

The only outfielder not performing well so far this season is Kyle Schwarber. The 24-year-old is slashing .188/.312/.361 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 37 games. Perhaps, if Schwarber continues to struggle, he and Happ could platoon left field. That would be a tricky action as Schwarber is the lead-off man for the Cubs, and finding a good choice to replace Schwarber atop the line-up three days a week would be hard.

Taking all of this into account one can see that sending Happ back to Triple-A once Heyward returns would be the best option. Happ, as well as Almora and Schwarber, need regular at-bats if they hope to progress into better hitters.