Happ Extremely Upset After Being Sent Down
If you missed the news, Chicago Cubs Ian Happ has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
The Cubs have optioned Ian Happ to Triple-A Iowa.
— Jamie Baker (@rljmb23) March 23, 2019
Happ had been struggling mightedly this Spring, slashing .135/.196/.192 this spring with 14 K’s in 17 games.
In hearing the news, Happ did not take it well, at all.
Maddon on Happ: It was a unanimous decision among the room. It’s not like it was an outlier. We all concluded the same thing. We had a great meeting. Everybody had an opportunity to speak and we all felt the same way. Which pretty much means you gotta do something like that.
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) March 24, 2019
I understand a lot of the problem Cubs fans have had with Ian Happ. He did strikeout a lot, especially early in 2018, but when you measure his 2018 season against Albert Almora’s, Happ had a more productive season.
Yes, I said that. I also know for much of 2018 Almora was hitting at or near .300. The thing is, Almora hit a lot of empty singles but other than those hits he rarely hit for extra bases or walked. The on top of it, and this will expose Almora a lot, he just hasn’t shown the ability to hit righties yet.
It’s likely because of that fact, the Cubs are searching the waiver wire for another center fielder to break camp with.
Cubs looking for CF help via trade or Waivers . Joe Maddon talked about OF options like Descalso . That is fine on a corner but not in CF .
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) March 24, 2019
Hopefully Happ takes this opportunity similarly to how Kyle Schwarber took his demotion. He should also understand that there have been HOF baseball players that have been sent down after playing at the MLB level for a year or more.
Hopefully this move helps Ian put the bat on more balls in the future. His bat is potentially more dangerous than any other Cubs outfielder, especially because he is a switch hitter, and a more potent Happ bat will prove to be an incredible asset.
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Can understand if Happ is frustrated and he is someone that we fans would like to see out there but he’s got to reset. Your article makes valid points.