Chicago Cubs: Why it should be Bryant-Rizzo-Contreras

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We’ve spent much of the time trying to figure out who will lead off for the Chicago Cubs. And we likely aren’t done with that topic. But what I do know? Bryant-Rizzo-Contreras need to be 2-3-4 in the lineup.

Thank goodness it’s almost time for Chicago Cubs baseball. At this point, if Yu Darvish doesn’t sign we won’t be heartbroken about it. And we’ve talked about, well, just about everybody as a leadoff hitter it seems. But aside from all the talk and hypotheticals of who should be hitting where? This is gospel.

When Joe Maddon starts penciling in his lineup, regardless of who he has leading off, it needs to be Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras in the 2-3-4 spots. It has to be. I know Maddon likes to “tinker” with his lineup. And the occasional change here and there will be fine. Someone gets a day off; the necessary changes can be made. But when these guys are in the lineup, it’s 2-3-4 for them.

Rizzo has been in the league the longest, and the numbers aren’t s clear as they are for Bryant and Contreras. But in their short time hitting in those spots, they’ve hit. So what don’t we take a look at the numbers and see why these three should be slotted in where we say.

Kris Bryant

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We might not have any idea who’s going to set the table for the Cubs this season, but Bryant should slide nicely into the two-spot. Last season hitting out of the two-hole, Bryant caused some severe damage to opposing pitchers.

In 110 games, Bryant slashed a .309/.413/.530 with a .943 OPS. And while the Cubs did score plenty of runs compared to 2016, Bryant wasn’t involved in all the fun.

He drove in just 73 runs, well short of his 102 he drove in in ’16. But much of that can be placed on the leadoff man, as the Cubs were searching for one from week to week.

But his BAbip was .354, and he hit 19 home runs and drove in 59 from the two-spot. On top of that, he managed to draw 68 walks from that spot in the lineup.

Bryant is still early in his career, but batting second has come easily to him. If there’s one knock on him, it’s his strikeout numbers. When he gets a hold of it, he hits it a ton. But often he finds himself headed back to the bench the victim of a strikeout. 98 times from the two-spot did he do this, and the Cubs will need to find themselves a leadoff man so they can have a chance to start off an inning right.

Anthony Rizzo

When looking at these three players, one of them doesn’t mesh well with the numbers. That is, of course, Rizzo. While he hasn’t put up spectacular numbers in the three-spot, they aren’t horrible, either. Last season, Rizzo hit .258/.389/.446 out of the three-hole. His OPS was a robust .835, but he found his BAbip at just .269. But if you watched Rizzo for much of the season, he was a tough-luck guy if there ever was one.

But over 108 games batting from the three-spot, Rizzo hit 18 home runs and drove in 63. He also walked a total of 70 times while striking out just 66. And if there’s a sliver of sunshine in those numbers? He stole nine bases while only being caught twice. That’s likely why my co-expert thinks he should be leadoff, but I’m not sold on it.

Rizzo looks like a power hitter, and he is. But his ability to shorten up his swing and do whatever is necessary to get on base is a massive plus for him. Could doing that at the top of the lineup bode well for Bryant in the two-hole? Maybe. But setting that up for the next hitter could be the best thing for all of them.

Willson Contreras

Before Contreras injured his hamstring, he was on fire. Like, an absolute inferno. It’s possible that Contreras was putting himself right in the middle of MVP conversation before the injury. But being what it was, the Cubs were able to persevere. But while he was in the four-spot, he was something to behold.

Contreras played 44 games hitting in the four-hole, and it’s not hard to see what he was in the MVP conversation during that time. Contreras slashed a .307/.404/.608 line with a 1.012 OPS. Of his 21 home runs on the year, 13 of them came batting cleanup. And he knocked in 39 of his 74 RBI from the four-spot.

Contreras had a BAbip of .306 from the cleanup spot, and also hit .305 in the second half of the season. If he learned anything, it’s that he can “take a play” off now and then. This doesn’t mean “don’t hustle,” but it doesn’t always have to be as hard as he can go.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Plenty of thunder in this lineup

This section of the lineup could be deadly for the Cubs. And depending what the rest of it does around them–it can be even more potent. The same way that many thought the Cubs were going to come into 2017 swinging, many believe the opposite of them this year.

Ben Zobrist wasn’t the same, so everyone assumes he’s “done.” Kyle Schwarber? He failed in the leadoff spot and was sent down to the minors. So he needs to be traded. Oh, and he’s a liability in the field, as well. Jason Heyward can’t hit, and according to some, he might never hit again. The Cubs overpaid for defense (That’s debatable, although mostly true) and their stuck with him still.

If my sarcasm was laid on thick enough, my apologies. I’ll work on that. But the Cubs won’t have the same struggles as last season. With Chili Davis installed as the new hitting coach, preaching situational hitting over launch angles? Things can only go up for them.

Next: Morrow is far from a disaster at closer

Who hits at the top? Who knows. We’ve given a few options, but with the Cubs without a true leadoff hitter, they’ll likely experiment. And what about the tail end of the batting order? The Cubs have several talented hitters on this roster, and one of them will have a breakout year in 2018. But 2-3-4? That’s already set.

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