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It’s no secret that the Cubs leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber has been struggling through the first 41 games of the season. He’s currently slashing .182/.305./.351 which isn’t exactly what Cubs fans envisioned when Joe Maddon made the announcement he’d bat Schwarber at leadoff in late February.
His struggles have turned into quite the polarizing issue with Cubs fans everywhere. I wrote an article earlier this week presenting both sides of the argument for moving Schwarber from the leadoff spot and got into some interesting dialogue with Cubs fans on social media.
Fuel has been added to that fire this morning when Maddon released his lineup for the Cubs game today against Milwaukee (which was eventually postponed.) There was one glaring issue with the Cubs lineup that would have taken the field today — Schwarber was not hitting leadoff. It would have been only the second time all season Schwarber didn’t bat leadoff in a game he started (5/10 @ Colorado).
I found this very surprising because less than a week ago, Maddon was very adamant about sticking with Schwarber as the team’s leadoff hitter.
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“He’s not doing anything wrong.”
He also reiterated at that point there was no panic and implied Schwarber was simply missing some pitches that he’d usually destroy (or as Maddon said, “he’s just a click under the baseball.)
So why the sudden change of heart and the demotion in the lineup?
Maddon explained his rationale earlier today.
The Rise Of Ian Happ
Moving Schwarber from the leadoff spot doesn’t happen without the quick rise of Ian Happ. The 22-year-old has exceeded expectations since his call up on May 13th and has appeared to find a permanent home in Chicago. Happ hitting the cover off the ball through six games has also allowed Maddon a little more flexibility with his lineup.
Happ has hit opposing pitching extremely well which has led to a slash line of .333/.462/.714. In addition to his offensive production, Happ is extremely versatile in the field which fans have already witnessed when they’ve watched him play every outfield position so far. Mind you, we haven’t even seen him play his “usual” position at second base.
Happ’s success has led Maddon to move Schwarber to the two-spot and putting veteran switch hitter, Ben Zobrist, as the new leadoff man. It’s no secret Maddon loves using Zobrist in the four-hole to “protect” Anthony Rizzo and it was a strategy that worked beautifully (remember Game 7 of the World Series?).
“Happ being here pretty much permits me to thinking that way and the fact that he’s done so well. Cause I was always concerned about Zo leaving that spot…”
Maddon went on to say that without Happ, he wouldn’t have moved Zobrist into the leadoff spot. He’s always been a huge believer in protecting Rizzo in the lineup so whoever filled that role, had to be able to handle the bat.
And Happ appears to be that guy now.
Maddon even called Happ “the new Zo” referencing Happ’s role of protecting Rizzo in the lineup. It’s also important to note that Happ is one of two switch hitters (the other is Zorbrist) in the lineup which would present quite the issue for opposing pitchers.
How To Avoid The Pull Shift
Maddon also believes that if Zobrist (.348 OBP) can get on base in the leadoff spot that the issue of Schwarber hitting directly into the pull shift may be avoided. As I mentioned in my article earlier this week, Schwarber has constantly tattooed balls directly into the shift a ton this season and Maddon is hoping that maybe with a man on first, the defense would have to reconsider shifting on Schwarber.
“The other component I thought we’ve talked a lot about Kyle hitting a lot of balls into the shift. If in fact Zo could get on a little more often, it might move that second baseman out of that spot. I don’t know, it might.”
Once again, none of this happens without Happ allowing Zobrist to move from his usual four-hole to his new home as a leadoff.
Is This The End Of The Kyle Schwarber Experiment?
To recap: Maddon was pro-leadoff Schwarber earlier this week and then suddenly bumped him out of that spot in the span of five days. So is this move official or is it just another one of Maddon’s magical mental tactics to help boost Schwarber’s confidence when/if Happ gets sent down?
“It just depends,” Maddon said. “The biggest thing is just to get him untracked a little bit confidence-wise.
At this point of the season with the Cubs sitting a game over .500, I’ll trust Maddon’s judgement in how to handle an exceptional hitter who has run into a rough patch. What I do know is this — the Cubs depth and versatility at numerous positions will be a constant theme throughout the course of this season and I have no doubt that Maddon will find the right combination at every spot in the lineup.
Especially leadoff.
