Chicago Cubs: 4 questions that need answers this offseason
Will the Cubs find a consistent leadoff hitter for the first time since their World Series win?
In each of the last two years, one of the biggest question marks heading into the season has been who will hit leadoff. Both guys that manager Joe Maddon has penciled into the top spot in the order has been a disaster.
In 2017, Schwarber began the season as the leadoff hitter. He only remained in that spot for a little over a month before being placed in the bottom half of the order. Schwarber slashed a disappointing .190/.312/.381 when he hit in the first spot in the lineup that season.
This year, Maddon turned to another young hitter, placing Happ at the helm of the batting order. He lasted for a shorter period of time than Schwarber and hit just .222/.311/.370 in 14 games batting leadoff. He struck out in 25 of his 61 plate appearances over that stretch.
Going into both 2017 and 2018, Schwarber and Happ had generated lots of buzz as breakout candidates. At the time, it didn’t seem out of the question for them to succeed at the top of the order, but neither move panned out.
Maddon loves to tinker with his lineup, and for the most part, he’s pretty good at it. Balancing the batting order and getting everyone consistent plate appearances has proven to be one of Maddon’s invaluable skills over the last two seasons, especially because consistency has been hard to find in the first spot of the batting order since Dexter Fowler left town.
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Going into next season, especially with the abysmal offensive numbers in the second half, the question of who will hit leadoff will once again be front and center.
After two straight unsuccessful attempts at placing one of the young hitters at the top of the order, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the front office make a move to bring in a veteran to bat leadoff in the 2019 season.
The Cubs could bring back Daniel Murphy to fill that role, but his struggles against left-handed pitching last year may scare the team away from making him the everyday leadoff guy.
Another option would be to acquire someone via trade. One player whose name will frequently be part of trade discussions this offseason will be Whit Merrifield.
Although Merrifield didn’t make his MLB debut until he was 27, he’s been a bright spot over the past three seasons for the Kansas City Royals. He’s hit leadoff in just over 65 percent of his career games and has hit .293/.335/.439 while at the top of the order.
If the Cubs part ways with Russell this offseason, Merrifield may be their best option to fill the hole in the middle of the infield.