The Chicago Cubs offense has been anemic so far. Sure there was the eight-run output on opening day, then 10 runs in the 10-inning win in game three of the season, but the strikeouts and lack of clutch hitting have been the talk surrounding the Cubs. Through the first five games, there hasn’t been a lot to write home about.
The biggest takeaways early on have been Kyle Hendricks, Eddie Butler, Tyler Chatwood (those walks are something to watch), and Kris Bryant. But the brightest and perhaps most impressive takeaway has been Ben Zobrist.
Zobrist was supposed to be declining. At this point in his career, Ben was to become a reserve player, allowing Javy Baez and others take the bulk of playing time. With his performance in 2017, the reduced time was earned and made sense.
But it appears Ben is back to his pre-2017 form. Launching balls all over the vast outfield in Miami, his early performance looks promising. Brendan Miller over at Cubs Insider wrote about how Ben’s exit velocity is up considerably this season. Yes it is early, and yes it can be attributed to a lot of things, but the easiest explanation is he is playing with two good wrists.
Ben’s performance has already caused Joe Maddon to change up his early plans.
At least early in 2018, Joe had planned to have Ian Happ leadoff against right-handed pitchers, with Albert Almora taking the left-handed platoon. It literally took one turn around for Ben to take that top spot from Almora, and if Happ continues to struggle Joe may need to find a way to get Ben starts against righties.
The problem Maddon encounters is who does Ben steal time from?
Luckily for Joe, and the rest of the roster, Zobrist is a highly versatile player. In 2017 Ben saw time at 2B, LF, RF, SS, and 1B. This spring he worked out more at first base, and we know he can also fill in at third as well. It will not be difficult to find 500 or more plate appearances for Zobrist, and cycling through six spots will prove to get him enough at-bats without limiting the rest of the roster.
I don’t know if Zobrist will finish the season as the Cubs leadoff hitter, but currently, he’s the best option this club has. It isn’t just the exit velocity, it’s his overall approach to every at-bat. He is prepared, with a specific plan, and ensures that regardless of the count he doesn’t sway from that plan. This approach sets a tone for the rest of the lineup but also helps the younger hitters learn.
“When I had him in Tampa Bay, there might be times when he has no hits,” Maddon said. “But look at how many times did he get on base. Even when he’s not actually getting his hits, he still works a quality at-bat, and I want our guys to see quality at-bats.
“That what I want our younger hitters to see, a quality at-bat. Among all of them, Kris Bryant has had some quality ABs so far, Addison (Russell) has. But our real guy, our centerpiece for that, is ‘Zo’.”
There are a lot of fans that have been screaming for a prototypical leadoff hitter. Well, the main goal of a leadoff hitter is to get on base and to do so through quality at-bats. There isn’t another guy in this lineup that is having better at-bats than Zobrist.This is why Joe needs to write Zo’s name into the lineup more often. This is why he needs to ensure his name is at the top of that lineup.
I have been wrong on Ian Happ for the most part. I didn’t think he should be taking away at-bats from Albert Almora, wasn’t impressed with his defensive ability, and thought he had way too long of a swing to consistently hit at the Major League level. But he has improved his defense tremendously (still a ways to go), and through spring and the first week of the season has been a better option than Almora (not by much). He still has a very long swing, which is why he seems to be a home run or bust type right now. That is not conducive to a quality leadoff hitter.
Almora has been mostly lost at the plate in 2018. Seems that he is behind most pitches, and up until 2018, he has walked only 24 times in his big league career.
I am not saying neither of them could become a top of the order hitter, I’m just saying they aren’t there yet. When you look throughout the rest of the roster I don’t know if there is a regular that you would put up top. Kris Bryant can do it, but he has settled nicely into that second spot in the order. Anthony Rizzo was superb in the spot for a week last season, but he is more important offering protection to Bryant. Willson Contreras could as well, but then you rely on Addison Russell to protect Rizzo. Baez – no. Jason Heyward – no.
I think the only real option is Zobrist. If you use merit or process of elimination, he is the best man for that job, especially is the play we have seen early on is what we can expect throughout the entire season.
