Chicago Cubs: 4 things that can stop their World Series aspirations

Lack of a leadoff hitter…again

Just like last season, the Cubs enter this year without a clear leadoff hitter. We here at Cubbies Crib as much as anybody has pondered who the Cubs could use in that spot. From Jason Heyward, Javier Baez, Albert Almora Jr. to Kyle Schwarber–we’ve looked at each of them at their qualifications. But what if they go through the same battles like last year, with nobody getting on base in front of Kris Bryant?

Last year, the Schwarber experiment failed miserably. Jon Jay was a solid fill-in at the spot, but he’s no longer here. Anthony Rizzo was one of the best the Cubs had, but he’s needed elsewhere in the lineup. Almora seems to be a favorite, at least among fans. But he’s struggled to hit left-handers. So it could be a platoon of Ian Happ and Almora–but even that’s simply taking a stab.