Chicago Cubs: Ian Happ’s July indicates he’s ready

The Chicago Cubs felt it was best to have Ian Happ begin the season at Triple-A. He is finally clicking and his month of July proves he’s due for a call-up.

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you what Chicago Cubs centerfielder Ian Happ‘s problem was since being called up in May 2017. Strikeouts. He was whiffing on balls over 30 percent of his at-bats and was trending in that direction again during spring training.

The front office made a smart decision, although it was still shocking, to start Happ at Triple-A this season to work on cutting down on the strikeouts. His problem was mostly attributed to timing issues.

Happ was the Cubs 9th overall draft pick in the 2015 MLB Draft and rose quickly through the minors. As previously noted, he made his debut on May 13, 2017 and smacked a home run in a 3-5 loss at St. Louis. He would finish the 2017 season with 24 home runs, 68 RBI’s (114 wRC+), but a 31.2 percent strikeout rate.

Last season, the power numbers were down and his strikeout percentage increased. His demotion was something that was needed to be successful in the long run and his name has surfaced in several trade rumors lately as we approach the July 31 deadline.

If Happ somehow makes it through the MLB trade deadline still on the Cubs 40-man roster, they need to strongly consider calling him up now. His month of July has been nothing short of incredible. He has slashed 0.314/0.442/0.614 with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 11 RBI’s, and just a 22.1 percent strikeout rate in 86 plate appearances.

People forget that Happ is still just 24 years old and is one of the youngest guys on the Iowa Cubs roster. It’s extremely common for guys his age to have early success but then the league adjusts to him. Unfortunately, it’s taken a demotion for him to recollect himself and figure out what will work, but the time is now for Happ to be called up.

The Cubs current centerfield situation is a mess with Albert Almora being the everyday guy. Sure Almora is a great defender, but he is generating the lowest offensive value over the last two years. His stats continue to fall and as of Wednesday, he’s slashing 0.237/0.272/0.378 (65 wRC+).

Almora has been utilized a lot lately as the Cubs leadoff man and most recently in the 5 spot where there is a greater potential for driving in runs. Unfortunately, Almora just has not been able to come through and it’s time for a change.