Da Windy City
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5 reasons why Chicago Cubs are poised for 2018 World Series run

By Ryan Heckman

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 04: The Wrigley Field marquee displays 'World Series Champions' during the 2016 World Series victory parade for the Chicago Cubs on November 4, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs won their first World Series championship in 108 years after defeating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game 7. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 04: The Wrigley Field marquee displays 'World Series Champions' during the 2016 World Series victory parade for the Chicago Cubs on November 4, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs won their first World Series championship in 108 years after defeating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game 7. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Ian Happ Chicago Cubs
Ian Happ Chicago Cubs /

Teams must now officially worry about the Cubs’ leadoff spot.

Last year was a fun ride for Maddon and the curious case of the Cubs leadoff hitter. Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Ben Zobrist all got shots at the leadoff spot last season, and while at times it looked as though one of those three could hold it down, Maddon wasn’t satisfied in the end.

The longing for a true leadoff hitter is now over. Enter Ian Happ.

For the last few seasons, the Cubs have had the privilege of bringing up young talent to the Majors and watching them blossom almost immediately. Remember the year of Kris Bryant? It was madness.

Well, Happ has given the Cubs yet another young talent who must see the field. This year, it looks like the leadoff position is solidified under Happ, and playing time won’t be an issue for him.

During spring training, Happ blasted a total of seven home runs. That’s a fantastic number, but it’s even more amazing that five of them came as the lead-off hitter in the game. Overall, he batted .333 in the spring and beat out fellow young gun Albert Almora Jr. for the top spot in the batting order.

In his first season with the Cubs last year, the 23-year-old cranked out 24 home runs in 115 games. By way of some easy math, if Happ were to have played the majority of the season with about 15-20 games rest, he would have hit 30 out of the park.

Let’s say he is just 15 percent better this year than he was as a rookie and plays a full season. That number would grow to 34 home runs in 2018 — I think the Cubs would be just fine with that.

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