Pete Crow-Armstrong has been filling in at the leadoff spot for the past 10 days and he's been really damn good. The results have been so off the charts that conversation has turned to whether or not the center fielder will remain at the top of the starting lineup once everyone is healthy. Well, the leadoff man question will be answered soon as Ian Happ is returning from the injured list.
Luckily for the Cubs Happ is back after missing the minimum amount of time on the 10-day IL. The gold glove winner last played on May 9, against the Mets, missed the next two games and was then officially sidelined because of a left oblique issue. Cubs fans are all too familiar with oblique injuries and how long recoveries can be, but for Happ it truly did result as a minor problem.
Jed Hoyer broke the news of Happ's return Tuesday morning while he was on the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score. Hoyer also confirmed that prospect Moises Ballesteros will go back to Triple-A, after he was called up last week to take Happ's roster spot.
So, will Happ still be the leadoff hitter? While Hoyer said that he expects Happ to slot back in where he has been all year the Cubs president of baseball operations did praise Crow-Armstrong, who was fantastic in the leadoff role during Happ's absence.
Via 670 The Score.
“I think (Crow-Armstrong) can definitely do that job, for sure,” Hoyer told the Mully & Haugh Show. “I think we have a couple of really good options. Ian did a great job in that spot. He sees so many pitches, he gets on base. When you have him and (Kyle) Tucker hitting one, two, there’s so much traffic on the bases for the other guys, it really helps. And then with Pete, he’s a different style of hitter. He’s dangerous right away. The way he’s hitting for power, and he’s getting on base, he’s creating havoc.
“My guess is that Ian will start leading off again, and Pete will probably go not quite as far down the order, but obviously Craig (Counsell) and I will talk about that.”
Prior to Monday's game, when PCA was hitless in five at-bats, he was 12-for-29, with 3 home runs, 2 triples and a double in seven games batting first.
The Cubs are facing left-handed starter Ryan Weathers Tuesday night in Miami. It's a rematch of last week's matchup at Wrigley Field between Weathers and Jameson Taillon. In that game, Dansby Swanson was in the leadoff spot, so there's a chance Craig Counsell does that again tonight.
Regardless, it does appear that Happ will go back as the regular leadoff man. However, it sounds like PCA has earned a spot higher up in the starting lineup following his five+ week hot streak.
I like this idea from Bleacher Nation's Brett Taylor.
- Ian Happ, LF (S)
- Kyle Tucker, RF (L)
- Seiya Suzuki, DH (R)
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF (L)
- Dansby Swanson, SS (R)
- Michael Busch, 1B (L)
- Carson Kelly/Miguel Amaya, C (R)
- Nico Hoerner, 2B (R)
- Matt Shaw, 3B (R)
You can play with the bottom of the order (and maybe Craig Counsell still wants Kelly batting up higher when he’s starting (though I’d just roll with Swanson)), but that’s how I’d do it.
After a slow start to the season Happ had been excellent as the leadoff hitter prior to his oblique injury. Overall, he's slashing .269/.364/.381, a 115 wRC+. From April 13 through May 5, Happ posted a 158 wRC+ thanks to a slash line of .346/.416/.500, in 89 plate appearances.
Happ always had the tools to be a good leadoff hitter and with some big bats behind him this season he's perfectly set the table for the Cubs offense. Happ's 12.8 BB% currently ranks third overall among qualified leadoff hitters this season. While PCA has been fantastic, he is prone to more strikeouts, doesn't walk much and now that he's tapped into his power, he might be an ideal candidate to hit cleanup in this lineup.
We'll see how Counsell deploys the starters during the next few games, but you should expect to see Happ back at the top with PCA now moving to the middle of the bating order.
