As the discussion continues to persist over who will lead off these Chicago Cubs in 2018, there’s been some speculation that it could be Jason Heyward. Of course, this purely a hypothetical scenario and not likely something that the team is actively considering. However, given the right set of circumstances that would obviously feature a return […]
Tag: Leadoff
The 2017 Leadoff Experiment and the Backdrop of Cubs Leadoff History
“Anthony loves batting leadoff!” –Anthony Rizzo, upon homering for the second day in a row There are a lot of skills that go into becoming the greatest leadoff hitter of all time. And it’s comforting to know Rizzo has already mastered referring to himself in the third person. Until the big first baseman took over […]
Revisiting the Cubs’ Leadoff situation
It’s official, Anthony Rizzo is the best lead-off hitter in the history of Major League Baseball. Alright, that may be a bit of a stretch, but Rizzo has certainly taken to the leadoff spot as shown by his two homers in his first at-bats as the Cubs’ table setter. While Rizzo’s success at the top has […]
The Case For Baez To Lead Off… Sometimes… Maybe
One of the things Dexter Fowler left in his wake with his departure to West East St. Louis, along with a shortage in the “handsome” and “really cute kid” department, is a question of who the Cubs bat leadoff on a day-to-day basis. We’ve all been part of debates on whether your leadoff hitter is […]
For the Chicago Cubs, Maybe Ben Zobrist Should Bat Ninth
In ‘Batting (Dis)Order,’ the chapter of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball that deals with optimizing lineups, the authors hit the nail on the head in the introduction: “To understand the impact of your possible choices,” they write, “you have to understand the environment in which you are working. Context.” That’s true, of course, and it’s […]
And Leading Off For the Chicago Cubs Is…
Leading off to hit in a baseball game is an under-appreciated art form. There’s many nuances about it that even your standard formulas might not catch. With the additions of Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward to the Cubs’ roster, picking a leadoff man just got complicated on the North Side. What the Cubs need from their leadoff […]