The Chicago Cubs haven’t had a clear fit at the leadoff spot, but perhaps their best all-around hitter deserves a shot at the top of the lineup.
It’s been a topic of conversation in Chicago since Dexter Fowler signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, as skipper Joe Maddon has elected to go with a leadoff hitter by committee approach the last season. And again, Maddon looks to be comfortable going with the foursome of center fielder Albert Almora, utility man Ian Happ, veteran Ben Zobrist, and the despite a down season, Kyle Schwarber is expected to get some time in that spot of the lineup.
And while none of these truly terrible options, none provide the typical on-base and speed combination a team hunts for in a leadoff hitter. However, out of the 11 different batters Maddon rotated through last season at leadoff, the Cubs neglected to consider one of their best hitters for the leadoff.
Their MVP-winning third baseman Kris Bryant.
Kris Bryant leading off for the Cubs?
Bryant is easily one of the top five players in all of baseball, and his bat along with Anthony Rizzo’s have become staples in the heart of the Cubs lineup. However, the Cubs are not a team lacking power, finishing among the top 10 teams in home runs and runs scored last season.
And they have power throughout their lineup, with six players hitting more than 20 home runs last season. So, moving Bryant out of his familiar two-spot in the lineup wouldn’t mess with the balance of their lineup, and honestly, it could eventually make the rest of the lineup stronger.
There a lot of factors that come into play when looking into the Cubs slow first-half numbers last season, but the biggest issues was their lack of base runners. Outside of Bryant and Rizzo, none of the Cubs regular starters found ways to consistently get on the base.
Now, there are two issues with that. First, if Bryant and Rizzo are the only two batters getting on base nobody is getting on in front of them, so the Cubs best run producers have nobody to drive in. The second issue was finding batters to drive Rizzo and Bryant in, as Rizzo was the lone Cub to top 100 RBI on the season.
But, with the Cubs sliding Bryant to the leadoff spot, they not only force batters to start their day off facing one of the best hitters in baseball but one of the best on-base guys in all of baseball. Bryant does nothing but gets on base, as his on-base percentage has climbed from .369 in his rookie year to .409 last season.
Putting Bryant in front of batters like Rizzo, Contreras, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber, etc. more often than not translate to any of those batters coming to plate with a runner on base. And an underrated skill of Bryant’s is his speed, as he surprisingly is one of the fastest third basemen in all of baseball, according to MLB’s Statcast.
And for reference, only Ian Happ and Javier Baez have a faster sprint speed time than Bryant. And in case you don’t believe the numbers, watch Bryant score from second on a passed ball and tell me he can’t hang with other speedy players in baseball.
But what about his power numbers?
The best part about Bryant in the leadoff spot is that, despite what many might think, he shouldn’t affect his power numbers. And as proof, look no further than his final season in at the University of San Diego. As a 21-year-old Bryant lead the NCAA in home runs (31) and RBI (62) all while batting leadoff for the Toreros.
Of course, just because Bryant did well against college pitchers as a leadoff hitter doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to continue to do the same in the MLB. But look at Bryant’s career numbers at every level and find a weak season. You can’t because he doesn’t have one.
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The 26-year-old MVP has done nothing but be the best he can be at every level, going from college player of the year, rookie of the year, to winning the NL MVP in 2016. If there was ever a player who deserved a shot to hit at the top of the lineup, Kris Bryant is that player. And if the Cubs current group of lead-off hitters struggles initially, I can only hope Joe Maddon will consider writing in his MVP’s name atop his lineup card.