Chicago Cubs: No letup in series opener against Brewers

Chicago Cubs: Could Happ be the answer at leadoff?

Chicago’s leadoff problem is very real. Just ask Jason Heyward, who is slashing .156/.254/.320 from the top of the order.

Schwarber has been red-hot in the middle and toward the bottom of the lineup – and he can be a major run-producer in those spots – so Maddon is unlikely to move him back to leadoff. Maybe Ben Zobrist could be an option when he returns to the big-league level, but it seems more likely that the Cubs would want to ease him into things.

Happ had some great at-bats from the leadoff spot. He hit the ball hard multiple times and was looking for fastballs down in the zone. Plus, he has some speed and his strikeout rate is way down from last season, albeit in a smaller sample size.

With the way that Castellanos is going right now, the Cubs need to find someone that can get on base more consistently from the leadoff spot. At the very least, Happ might be worth an extended look, especially given that he was pegged as the leadoff guy for the 2018 season and still has the qualities to be serviceable at the top of the order.