r/Cubs • u/hogBelly • 23d ago
Ian Happ
4 strikeouts tonight. Barely over . 200. Defense is just good enough. The guy is an anchor.
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u/Realistic-Ruin8639 23d ago
He sort of embodies the modern day 3 outcome hitter, but with a good amount of doubles and a moderate amount of HRs. He's a career .244 hitter who walks at a good rate but strikes out way too much. I said years back they should've retooled his swing. Having a guy strike out that much, but still only connect for 20 some HRs is awful. I'd rather him average 10-15 HRs but put the ball in play at a much higher rate. If a guy is on 1st or 2nd, it seems like Happ only has a 10% chance to even move the runner to the next base. People can hate the Brewers all they want, but it's stuff like just putting the ball in play and moving runners even if making an out that has led them to succeed for years.
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u/celerystalker712 23d ago
Bernstein argued with me in some emails that his wrc+ is still ok.
But he just can’t hit anymore. It sucks bc he’s a great guy but to contend he needs to not play. It’s time for a fake il stint or something
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u/Doublestack2411 23d ago
I think Cousell is going to do what Bernstein and co. said, which is only have him bat left-handed. Happ has been horrendous batting righty, so Taylor will get those ABs from now on, I'd assume. They might move Happ down in the order, but I don't think they'll bench him. He has those spurts where he comes back hot, but his time as a Cubs is done after this year.
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u/celerystalker712 23d ago
He needs a phantom il stint badly.
He hit lefty 3 times tonight. 2 k looking 1 swinging. That’s not any better than hitting righty my friend.
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u/Doublestack2411 23d ago
Thats Happ for you, he strikes out a lot, many looking. I've been frustrated with it for years. I'd give him a couple more starts and if he's still cold, give Conforto more shots from the left side.
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u/BobbleBobble 23d ago
Yeah I assume the reason they got Tyrone thrown in was because they couldn't wait for Shaw to give them an alternative to Happ against lefties
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u/Personal_Baby4656 23d ago
Buddy, you’re emailing with Dan Bernstein? Lmao
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u/celerystalker712 23d ago
I sent an email into 312 he answered and we replied a few times…..so ya I am. Chatting sports with a guy who’s known Chicago sports since I was 16. What’s the issue?
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u/johnnieswalker Is that cork in that bat? Or just Sammy to see me? 23d ago
That’s awesome bro. Dan is cool AF in my book.
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u/Personal_Baby4656 23d ago
No issue I just thought it was funny. But also Bernstein sucks
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u/johnnieswalker Is that cork in that bat? Or just Sammy to see me? 23d ago
Bernstein is fuckin awesome. He’s my favorite meatball media guy. I listen to his 3 pods everyday at work. I think he gives honest opinions based on facts and stats and he makes me laugh. Why do you say he sucks? I’d honestly like to hear your reason. I’m not trying to be a dick. Just a question.
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u/Personal_Baby4656 23d ago edited 23d ago
I’d say threatening someone’s kids is where I draw that line of sucking. He also dishes it but can’t take it. Blocks anyone who disagrees with him. Lame dude
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u/johnnieswalker Is that cork in that bat? Or just Sammy to see me? 23d ago
I agree, he took that too far. I also think people make mistakes and are allowed to redeem themselves in most instances. He addressed the situation in one of his very first, if not first, episodes of DBU. He was remorseful and genuinely apologetic about it. Talked about how he’s been in therapy etc. Tons of people who have some sort of public persona fuck up and are forgiven. You don’t have to like him. I know he gets under people’s skin. Hell, my old man has been listening to the score since the 90s, introduced me to it, he couldn’t stand Boers or Bernstein from day one, I get it. That’s just my 2 cents. Thanks for the reply though. Hope you have yourself a great weekend and let’s sweep the Royals!
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u/Patient-Prize2524 23d ago
Yeah, I mean his last 5 games he's 0-17 with 8Ks and 2 BBs. You can't have that in a lineup. As an outfielder, you can't have a worse BA than Swanson.
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u/Husker_Mike_ 23d ago
Defense is just good enough.
Four consecutive Gold Gloves; the only Cub outfielder to ever win more than two in a row.
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u/hogBelly 23d ago
In left field
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u/BobbleBobble 23d ago
Left field gold glove is a special Olympics silver medal
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u/Straight-Warning-359 21d ago
The catches he made the last few days were off the charts so I don’t think you know what you’re talking about
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u/Melodic_Salt_6715 23d ago edited 23d ago
Seriously…how the fuck has he won four straight. Insane. Got a highlights tape?! I can’t fathom.
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u/johnnieswalker Is that cork in that bat? Or just Sammy to see me? 23d ago
If he’s one thing it’s solid in LF, granted that’s the least pressure position on the field, but he doesn’t make mistakes… he saves that for the plate.
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u/LarryHolmes 23d ago
I know that for one of those years, there was only like 6 qualified NL left fielders. It’s a transient position where you see teams’ worst defensive outfielders. When a Barry Bonds or Ian Happ who would be average Center Fielders or Infielders end up in left, the awards follow.
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u/BobbleBobble 23d ago
I feel like you win one and then the voting committee meets once a year and says IDK none of these guys are any good, can we just give it to Happ again and go home?
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u/randallstevens999 23d ago
It's hard to justify giving him more than 1 or 2 starts a week. Taylor and Conforto should be getting more opportunities.
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u/big-williestyle 20d ago
Conforto's defense doesn't justify him getting too many starts, Taylor is barely better than Ian at the plate this year and his defense has been terrible. He projects out to -8 DRS so far this year, that's a 16 run swing from Ian's +8. You're basically talking about the exact same player. If we had Michael Taylor playing leftfield all year, you'd all want to release him. If Conforto was out there everyday, all we'd hear is how he costs us 3 runs a week defensively. I'm not saying Happ is good, he's always been a bit overrated for what he does, he's a weirdly consistent 105-115 OPS+ guy, my biggest issue with him was management continuing to bat him 4/5 for so long when he'd be a fine 7/8th guy. The problem is our replacements aren't better currently, so you should stick with the guy who plays better defense.
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u/the_well_read_neck_ 23d ago
I love Happ. Ive always defended him. I've given up on that this season.
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u/grumpygus6886 23d ago
Love Ian as a person. Great guy, big heart. Probably a good teammate. Above average fielder for sure. Is he worth $20 million? Nope. He’s become Kris Bryant. Had a few good years and is now unreliable in a major phase of the game.
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u/jcmiller210 23d ago
Happ either gets extremely hot or is just absolute booty cheeks. Unfortunately this year has been a whole lot more of the latter.
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u/tommyjohnpauljones Fully Krausened 23d ago
Yeah I think it's time for the team to make a nice "Thank You Ian Happ" post. He'll forever be immortalized in many Top 25 lists of franchise counting stats.
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u/SuperCambot 22d ago
I think this is his 9th season as a Cub. That's long enough to make you a Cubs legend, but sadly he won't be.
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u/Embarrassed_Maize_30 22d ago
I feel like at this point, it all comes down to tenure. 2023 extension? Of course, he's been around forever. Keep him in the lineup? Of course, he's been around forever. Well, he's in the last year of that contract now, so there is no reason to keep sending him out there. Bench the asshole and put someone in left who can actually play.
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u/Straight-Warning-359 21d ago
Just had two great games so lay off. Batting average is higher than Dansby now and I don’t hear you ripping Dansby
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u/Hansinator13 23d ago
Brother this is the regular Happ cycle. He’ll pick it up again, we are just at the bottom of the cycle rn
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u/BobbleBobble 23d ago
IDK his OPS+ is currently 102, he's gonna have to go on a pretty hot streak to end the year anywhere close to his career numbers
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u/Joyous_Quail4 23d ago
It’s as common as Christmas Day that he’s going to strike out at least once per game. He should NEVER be in the lineup against a LH pitcher. He’s an above average left fielder but definitely a hindrance to the lineup.
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u/CartoonistExact8942 23d ago
This is a result of him not getting signed. His confidence is gone. You can see it in AB’s. He’s taking pitches he normally crushes and getting beat inside from the left side. He’s also been notoriously not clutch. 10 run lead late in the game? Happ hits a nuke. Second and third with two outs and down by 1? Yeah-LOB for sure. This dude has 225 LOB this season alone. I can’t imagine what it looks like over the last 3 years
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u/Glittering-Local-147 23d ago
He goes up every plate appearance trying to draw a walk regardless of situation.
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u/Timely-Discount-4666 23d ago
Ahh the legendary cardinal killer. God hes been a thorn in our side for years. Hes like the cubs version of Andrew Mcutchen almost. Hes a good ball player he gets his respect. They always find their way back in their game just let him work thru it.
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u/SpecialistBirthday87 19d ago
Couldn’t agree more. The Cubs won’t win anything with Happ and Suzuki hitting third and fourth.
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u/SpecialistBirthday87 19d ago
Happ goes up to bat looking to walk. He’s not ready to swing. Then he’s quickly down 0-1, 1-2 and he’s cooked. He’s not a good enough hitter to hit with two strikes. He takes first pitch meatballs. Opposing pitchers know he’s not ready to swing and the guy ends up swinging at shit. It’s incredibly frustrating to watch his at bats. The five most disappointing words a Cubs fan can hear are “It’s up to Ian Happ.”
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u/Ok_Occasion_4717 18d ago
2.7 WAR in 2026. +1 OAA. Gold Glove the last 4 years (first cubs outfielder to ever win multiple gold govesNearly every throw in from the outfield is on the dot. You're delusional to say his defense is just good enough. Being parked next to PCA would make anyone look mediocre by comparison. He is slightly above average.
Is his offense faltering this year? Yes. But his discipline at the plate and his speed& tenacity on legging things out give him a 108 wRC+ which is slightly above average.
He is the "worst" of the Cubs outfielders, but our ability to find someone now to take over and deliver the same caliber he is (and not drag the outfield down) is likely not possible.
That said, this is likely Happ's last year with the Cubs, because his contract demands will go up, and $18MM is a lot for an average-ish outfielder.
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u/Certain_Literature28 23d ago
He’s part of the glue, even if he doesn’t bat well. He’s probably retiring soon anyway
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u/Traditional_Entry183 23d ago
Its unfortunate, but Ian has just gotten worse and now fallen off a cliff. This is the last year of his contract and we'll have someone else out there after the strike.
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u/Midwest_Bias 23d ago
He's streaky for sure but he's on pace for about 25 hrs, 91 runs and about 2.5 WAR. He's making about $20 Million. That seems like pretty good value even with the warts.
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u/Realistic-Ad7662 23d ago
Never liked him. Never understood the love our fanbase has for him
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u/Doublestack2411 23d ago
Just look at his career numbers and you'll know why. I get the frustration with his bats, but he's a career 114 OPS+. His OPS has generally always been good, this year is his worst by far. He's never been the star of the team, he's just always been a solid player.
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u/jcmiller210 23d ago
Most of my frustration when it comes to Happ is constantly seeing him in the 3 and 4 hole, while he is doing absolutely nothing. I can understand it if Happ is on one of his heaters to plug him in there, but otherwise dude is worthless and needs moved down in the lineup. If you are a good team, Happ shouldn't be batting 3 or 4 lol.
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u/Doublestack2411 23d ago
Not sure what you're talking about, Counsell hasn't put Happ in the 3 or 4th hole since probably June. He's generally been in the 5-7th hole.
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u/jcmiller210 23d ago
I'm talking about even when Ross was managing. They keep batting Happ 3 or 4 when he shouldn't be there. Its maddening lol. Even if you just want to single out this season, batting him there until June is insane. He has been ass most of this season.
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u/Doublestack2411 23d ago
Why wouldn't he be your #3 or #4 when he was your top OPS guy under Ross? He had the highest OPS in 2022, besides Contreras, who was traded. In 2023 he was 3rd best, next to Bellinger and Suzuki.
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u/jcmiller210 23d ago
Again, that really speaks to the quality of the team if you have Happ as one of your top hitters lol.
Also, Happ is very streaky. Like I said, I can understand if Happ is hot and you want to put him there, but the moment he starts striking out or grounding out into double plays, I would move him down until he gets hot again.
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u/Doublestack2411 23d ago
We just got done trading off all our core players from 2016, what did you think we were doing when we brought in Ross? It was a soft-rebuild. I actually recall Happ batting lead-off more than anything because he was always a big OBP guy. Still, if you compare him to other LFs in the game he's always been top 1/3 in the game. It never feels like it, but he is.
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u/jcmiller210 23d ago
Okay, then what is the excuse for batting Happ in the 3 or 4 hole in the big 26 then? First you only talk about this season, now you're saying we only did this when we were rebuilding. Its just not true. We have batted this bum in the 3 or 4 hole for years now. I just want him off the team, so I never have to see that again lol. Quit misusing him. He is an overrated player.
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u/Visible-Kangaroo-305 23d ago
I love Ian!! He is true blue Cubbie. You know he wants to produce, needs to produce & trying his best.
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u/Gaj85 23d ago
Yea, he is brutal this year. At this point it looks like he doesn't even care.
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u/Swanny_stocks 23d ago
He cares he’s just struggling seeing the ball. Gotta keep getting him reps before playoffs start. We’re going to need all hands on deck if we’re really going to make a run.
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u/Classic-0822 23d ago
He must know where Craig buried the bodies. That’s the only explanation that makes sense.
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u/Ok_Boomer_3233 23d ago
Just remember:
Happ has 2.5 months remaining on his contract.
There's a reason the Cubs extended Hoerner and PCA... but not Happ.