Chicago Cubs: 3 decisions from 2021 that went up in smoke

Chicago Cubs: 3 2021 decisions that went up in smoke – #3: Ian Happ at leadoff

The leadoff position has plagued the Cubs since Dexter Fowler packed his bags for St. Louis. It’s been a revolving door for Joe Maddon and David Ross – often dictated by who’s swinging a hot stick at any given moment. That’s not necessarily where you want to have your best hitter in the  as this can cause a lack of production in the middle of the order. Needless to say, your best hitter should be swinging out of the three or four spot with the hopes of somebody being on base.

Having to explain that proves just how dysfunctional the leadoff spot has been in recent years. Rafael Ortega did a nice job in 2021 once it became his role. However, earlier on, sometimes you saw Rizzo, who has always been strong out of the leadoff spot, but is more valuable as a run producer. Other times you saw Bryant, Ian Happ – the list goes on and on.

As for Happ, he had the most brutal start to a season imaginable. In fact, the entire first half of the 2021 season was the worst stretch of his career, with him batting just .183/.296/.330 with a well below average 73 wRC+. In all fairness, Ross shouldn’t have continued to pencil Happ into the lineup at all, let alone as the table setter, given his struggles.

Happ is not a leadoff hitter – whether he’s hot or not. With more consistent at-bats and a regular spot in the middle of the order, the switch-hitter turned his season around in the second half with a slash of .268/.350/.536 while improving his wRC+ to 133 coming primarily out of the three spot. More than likely, we’ll see either Ortega, Nico Hoerner or Nick Madrigal lead off in 2022 – and hopefully one of them emerges as a long-term solution.