Chicago Cubs: It is not quite time to give up on Ian Happ

Since Ian Happ broke onto the scene with the Chicago Cubs, he’s shown great potential. That being said, playing up to that potential hasn’t been regular.

Keep going. Persevere. Endure. These are words which would apply to Ian Happ’s first two Major League seasons in a nutshell. Just 24 years old, the Chicago Cubs utility man is supposed to be nearing the prime of his professional career. While there have been flashes of brilliance, indeed, there has been a lot more ‘what-ifs’ than necessary.

Happ splashed into the league last year, playing 113 games for the Cubs on his way to a respectable rookie season in which he slashed .253/.328/.514 with 24 home runs and 68 RBI. The former first-round pick finished the season by posting a more than solid .349 wOBA and 113 wRC+ with a 1.9 WAR. Not bad at all for the then-23-year-old rookie.

However this season, to the unfortunate chagrin of the Wrigley faithful, Happ has majorly regressed, and it has not been very pretty. As we head into the final week of the regular season, Happ is slashing just .228/.346/.409 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI. His wOBA and wRC+ are still floating above league average, but only barely at a paltry .325 and 103, respectively. Happ also has seen a drop in his overall WAR to 1.3. Needless to say, as Happ is just 24 years old, it should behoove the Cubs to see what they have in him for a little while longer.

Chicago Cubs: The importance of versatility

For the Cubs, position player depth is one area where they have seemingly not struggled with for what feels like a while, and that is great. Ian Happ dramatically improves that dynamic with his versatile nature, and that is something which is difficult to move on from.

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The Cubs did not hold this notion that Happ would serve as a pseudo-utility player. However, that’s exactly what he’s done in his first two years. Since Happ possesses the ability to switch-hit, he can fill a variety of roles for manager Joe Maddon.

Of all the positions in the field, the only ones Happ has yet to play this season are shortstop and catcher. Strange enough, Happ has stepped in everywhere else, including a handful of innings at first base and a minute sample size of frames at second.

The necessity of versatility often goes overseen in Major League Baseball, making it essential the Cubs do possess a player with the level of utility like Happ maintains. For this reason alone, Happ should stay a part of the Cubs plans moving forward.

Chicago Cubs: Taking a glass half-full approach

It’s become exhausting to watch Happ perform at the level he has this season. His swing-and-miss tendencies are frustrating, to say the least. That being said, there is still a way to see the glass as half-full.

Happ is just 24 years old. Let that sink in for a moment. He has less than two full seasons at the Major League level under his belt. Happ also moved through the minor league ranks incredibly quickly, playing just 26 games at Triple-A before making the leap to the Show.

Merely looking at the positives, we can see that there is still a world of potential there, which has not yet been unlocked. It could be on the horizon, however.

One example is Happ’s walk rate and his increased patience for outside pitches at the plate. Last season, Happ walked at a clip of 9.4 percent, which is nothing too impressive. This season, Happ is walking at a 14.7 percent rate, which is respectable if you think about the strikeout rate. If you look at Happ’s plate discipline, you’ll notice it has become better. His O-Swing%, represented by the number of pitches he swings at outside the strike zone has decreased from 31.5 to 24.6 percent year-over-year.

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Happ’s strikeout percentage has increased exponentially from 31.2 percent to a near league-worst 36.7 percent. Naturally, Happ’s contact percentage has also decreased from 67.3 percent in 2017 to 63.3 percent in 2018. Seemingly, this means that Happ does have a better eye for the strike zone, but he, unfortunately, can’t seem to make contact.

While Happ is undoubtedly producing at a much lower level this season, as well, it should be noted that he is still above the league-minimum clip regarding overall offensive production. It is not pretty. However, Happ has posted a .325 wOBA and a 103 wRC+. As it stands, there is a bevy of teams which would kill for production such as this.

Ian Happ feels like a carbon copy of Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story. In each of their first two seasons, Happ and Story struck out at near identical rates. The power was also nearly identical, as well as the RBIs, walk rate, and wRC+. Looking ahead to this season, Trevor Story has found a way to turn it around, leading the Colorado offense.

Story, last season, struck out at a 34.4 percent rate. He has found a way to decrease his strikeout percentage this season and has become a perennial MVP candidate. For a guy who is measured so much like Ian Happ, it could be something that Happ could learn from Trevor Story.

Chicago Cubs: Turning it around for the long term

Let’s not give up on Ian Happ quite yet. The strikeouts are frustrating, and the decrease in overall production is something to keep a watchful eye on. However, it is not time to push the panic button just yet.

It could very well be a ‘sophomore slump’ which Happ is going through in 2018. As expected, pitchers have adjusted, meaning Happ needs to make counter-adjustments on the fly. Things often change, sometimes negatively, for a young second-year player. We can’t forget that fact.

For Happ, this could be a good lesson learned moving forward. As he has shown many flashes of his high potential, the sky could turn back into the limit for the 24-year-old in 2019. For now, it is time to wait and see and hope the dominoes fall precisely.