Chicago Cubs: Time for Jason Heyward to replace Kyle Schwarber at top of order?
Should the Chicago Cubs place Jason Heyward at the top of their batting order?
At 16-13, the Chicago Cubs have not had an ideal start to the 2017 season. They have been good, just not the overwhelming powerhouse that most everyone expected them to be. Their starting pitching has been average at best and the offense is inconsistent.
Even with their worse than expected start to the season, the Cubs sit on top of the National League Central standings. Sure, they only lead the Cincinnati Reds by one game and the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals by a game and a half, but they are still clearly the class of the division. It is not the time for the Cubs to be taking major wholesale changes but perhaps a minor shakeup wouldn’t hurt?
Without making any major moves, the Cubs could look to get a spark by switching up their batting order. With Jason Heyward having a strong start to the season, it might be time to consider moving him up.
Heyward’s numbers have dipped a bit over the past week or so, but he is still hitting a solid .253/.333/.364 on the season. The Cubs outfielder appears much more comfortable at the plate this year and is driving the ball with more authority. Plus, his .286 BABIP compared to his career average of .302 (according to Fangraphs) suggest that some positive regression should be coming his way.
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Heyward has also been a patient hitter who is an ideal top of the order hitter when he is going right. He has always been a more natural leadoff option than Kyle Schwarber for the Chicago Cubs, and with Heyward looking good at the plate, I wonder if bringing him up to the top would help this offense.
Schwarber has been the Cubs’ primary leadoff hitter through the early part of the season. While putting him at the top was an interesting idea to try, the Cubs’ slugger does not look like himself at the plate. Schwarber is hitting .193/.313/.367 on the year. While it is not the time to panic about his early season numbers, Schwarber striking out at a 30.5% clip is not encouraging.
Schwarber has always been an extremely patient hitter who works the count well. His 13.3% walk rate makes him a good option at the top, but to me, Schwarber seems to be working himself into too many deep counts. That could certainly help explain all of the strikeouts. Is hitting leadoff changing Schwarber too much?
His ability to work the count is great, but the Cubs also need Schwarber to be aggressive. He is a powerful impact hitter who can change any given game with one swing of the bat. In theory, nothing should change his approach no matter where he is hitting. But to me, Schwarber seems to be too selective hitting at the top of the order. His high strikeout rate appears to back this up. The Cubs would be better off having an aggressive Schwarber driving in runs in the middle of the order.
Heyward has always been a selective hitter. Perhaps having a more traditional leadoff hitter like him would benefit the Cubs through the early part of the season?
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To me, a top five of Heyward, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist and then Schwarber makes a lot of sense. Doing this helps balance the order a bit and allows Schwarber to be in a position to drive in more runs. Also, if Heyward continues to be productive, he will be getting on plenty for the big boppers behind him.
It is not the time for the Chicago Cubs to panic and make major changes, but this kind of lineup shakeup is worth a shot.