One weakness in Ian Happ's profile is quietly derailing the Cubs' offsense

The popular defense for Ian Happ over the years is that by the time the Chicago Cubs reach the end of the regular season, Happ's numbers are going to be close to his career averages. Happ has had a power surge through the first two months of the season, and there's no denying that's been a key part of the team's success. But as the Cubs' offense has slumped over the past week, a weakness in Happ's offensive profile has emerged.

Given that he has 10 home runs before the end of May, Happ has settled into being the Cubs' cleanup hitter in recent weeks. Sure, power is expected from the No. 4 hitter in any lineup, but there also comes an expectation to produce with runners in scoring position.

Along those lines, Happ has been a massive disappointment this season. Through 66 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, Happ is slashing .151/.318/.283. Making things even worse, the 31-year-old is striking out nearly 40% of the time in those situations.

Ian Happ is consistent, but the Cubs need a change

Happ has been the definition of a three-outcome hitter for the Cubs this season, considering his ability to draw walks. Where that can become a problem is when the veteran left fielder becomes too selective. At this stage of his career, Happ is who he is.

The simplest solution for the Cubs would be to move Happ down in the order. Where that becomes a problem is that the Cubs don't have a clear answer for who could replace Happ as the cleanup hitter. Seiya Suzuki would be the likely candidate, but even he has had his struggles with runners in scoring position.

Suzuki has been worse than Happ with runners in scoring position. Through 48 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, Suzuki is slashing .122/.229/.220 while striking out over 41% of the time. As long as Suzuki is struggling, the Cubs don't have a clear answer for who could serve as the No. 4 hitter in Counsell's lineup.

This past week has been a reminder of the downside to Jed Hoyer's lineup construction. Hoyer prefers lineup length as opposed to paying a premium for a slugger capable of hitting 40 home runs per season. There are baseball reasons why that makes sense, but that leaves the Cubs vulnerable to stretches like the one they are in. When that happens, the Cubs don't have a clear answer outside of hoping that players progress back to their expectations.

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