The Leadoff Role, Cubs Front Office is Not Particularly Well-Liked? And Other Cubs Bullets

Jed Hoyer

It’s a pretty big day for the Chicago Bears, eh? For the second year in a row, they own the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Only this time, they actually plan to use it (and on a quarterback, no less!). It is not hyperbole to say that the success of the next 4-5 years of Bears football is basically starting in a few hours. That’s how important the quarterback position is. It’s such a different sport than baseball.

  • The Cubs won again last night, which brings them to a season-high six games over .500. They didn’t reach six games over .500 last season until AUGUST 21. That team eventually peaked at 12 games over .500 on September 6, at which point their odds of making the playoffs ballooned up to 92.4%. Of course, they finished the season 7-15 … and missed the postseason entirely. Oops!
  • Nico Hoerner continues to succeed out of the leadoff spot. With another two hits yesterday, he’s slashing .350/.395/.525 (157 wRC+) as the Cubs leadoff man this year. And overall, he’s slashing a less-impressive, but still very respectable .282/.374/.376 (117 wRC+), even more valuable with his defense and base running. As for the other leadoff man, Ian Happ … after a short, but tough stretch in San Diego and Seattle, Happ has worked a 122 wRC+ and is up 109 wRC+ for the season.
  • When Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger come back, I wouldn’t be surprised if Happ moved back into the role, especially because his patience and walk rate still plays better there. But for now (and that’s probably a 6-week “for now”), I wouldn’t change anything. Hoerner is hitting, Happ is fine, and the Cubs options for the middle of the order are limited and imperfect.
  • This is interesting … and moderately mind-boggling. The Athletic polled 40 executives across baseball to rank the top five front offices in baseball, assigning a point value for each ranking (10 points for first, 7 for second, etc.). And guess what? The Cubs got ZERO votes. I’m not saying they are the best front office in baseball – by any means – but they’ve got the top farm system *and* are winning at the big league level. Surely that should set them above the Reds (1 point), Tigers (4), and Mariners (6) … all of whom did receive top-5 votes. Like … what? The Reds are promising, but have fumbled/whiffed a few times lately. Ditto the Tigers. And I’d argue that the Mariners have been a huge disappointment.
  • As expected, the two financial extremes — Dodgers (284) and Rays (258) — led the way in a tier of their own. After that, the Braves (130), Guardians (101), and Orioles (91) came next. I have some qualms with the Orioles, whose strategy was just “suck for a long time and then only modestly improve the club in free agency,” but whatever. It worked, I guess. And they’re definitely not bad. The Brewers (52) and Diamondbacks (43) follow, which also seems fair. But the rest is a jumbled mess. And again, the Cubs got NO votes.
  • On the bright side, the Cubs have recently pulled some of the brightest minds from teams high on the list like the Guardians (Cubs GM Carter Hawkins), Astros (Cubs Farm Diretor Jason Kanzler), and Brewers (Cubs Manager Craig Counsell). And it’s just a silly ranking, but it is a little striking for the Cubs to be in the “did not receive votes” category alongside the likes of the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, White Sox, Athletics, Angels, Nationals, Marlins, Cardinals, Padres, Rockies, Giants, and Pirates.
  • A bunch of Apple laptops are on sale today at Amazon. So if you’ve been putting off buying a new computer (like I have), now’s a good time. I think I actually am going to grab one of those today while they’re slightly less expensive. #ad
  • Earlier today, I looked into the Cubs scoring runs and generating plenty of offense early, before fading later in games. It was generally unpopular. Lol.
  • In case you missed it, Christopher Morel’s defense at third continues to impress:
  • written by

    Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

    more cubs news

    REPORT: Cubs Trade Richard Lovelady to the Rays

    When the Chicago Cubs traded Jake Slaughter to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Tyson Miller, they needed to open a spot on both the active roster and the 40-man roster. They did that in one move by designating reliever Richard...

    Cubs Set a Target Date for Dansby Swanson’s Return, Daniel Palencia Also On His Way

    First, a quick update I kept out of the headline: Nico Hoerner is not in the Cubs lineup today, as he continues to deal with left hamstring tightness. The Cubs have now blown past the maximum IL backdate optimization, which...

    Chicago Cubs Lineup: Leadoff Man Patrick Wisdom

    CUBS LINEUP — Losing to the Braves (and then Jared Jones and Paul Skenes), when you have 10 people on the IL, including your entire middle infield, is not really that concerning to me. It sucks and banking losses is...

    Hendricks Will Get More Chances, Many Injury Updates, A Possible New Scandal, and Other Cubs Bullets

    Sports Saturday around the Taylor household, so it's time to run all over to soccer fields and baseball fields and dance centers. First, Cubs Bullets ... Kyle Hendricks may not have made a load of terrible pitches in yesterday's game...

    Enhanced Box Score: Pirates 9, Cubs 3 – May 17, 2024

    For six hitless, profoundly dominant innings, Paul Skenes today looked like the best pitching prospect I've seen since maybe Stephen Strasburg. The other two who came to mind as I watched were Matt Harvey and Jose Fernandez. Those three, when...

    MLBits: Elly De La Cruz Continues to Electrify, Yanks Want Soto for Long Haul, More

    Elly De La Cruz continues to dazzle and the Yankees want Juan Soto in New York for the rest of his career. That and more in today's MLB Notes! Elly De La Cruz's Four Steal Night Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly...

    Cubs Farm Report | May 17, 2024: I-Cubs’ Homer Party Helps Cade Horton Get His First Triple-A Win

    The Iowa Cubs mashed four home runs and scored 10 runs, as Cade Horton made his best start at Triple-A on Thursday. That and more in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm Report | May 17, 2024 Triple-A Iowa Cubs...

    Cubs Roster Moves: Brewer to the IL, Hodge to Chicago

    YES! ANOTHER CUBS PLAYER IS HITTING THE INJURED LIST! ANOTHER CUBS RELIEVER AT THAT! PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE MY SHOUTING FOR EXCITEMENT! IT IS ACTUALLY JUST INCREDULITY AND CAFFEINE! Today the Chicago Cubs placed reliever Colten Brewer on the 15-day...

    Chicago Cubs Lineup: Seiya Sits, But PCA is Back

    CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs dropped the opener last night at Wrigley Field, but they've got a Friday 1:20 start with Kyle Hendricks on the bump (and the sun shining) today. Maybe those good vibes will be enough to take...

    Hoping on Happ and Hoerner, Steele and Jones, Murray, Roku, Vegas, and Other Cubs Bullets

    Here's hoping no Pirates players take a wrong turn in Wrigleyville and get detained trying to get into Wrigley Field. Maybe have to miss the game. (This is a Scottie Scheffler reference, for those who haven't seen the bonkers story...

    Latest News

    Dodgers vs. Reds Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Saturday, May 18, 2024

    The Los Angeles Dodgers (30-17) are favorites (-220) on the moneyline when they take on the Cincinnati Reds (19-26) Saturday at 9:10 PM ET, live on SportsNet LA.Los Angeles' Walker Buehler and Cincinnati's Graham Ashcraft have been named the starters...

    Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets for Western Conference Semifinals Game 7 – Sunday, May 19, 2024

    The Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves take the court in a decisive Game 7 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. The Nuggets are favored by 5 points in the matchup, which airs on TNT at 8:00 PM...

    Billy Donovan Reportedly Hires Former NBA Head Coach as Lead Assistant

    Head coach Billy Donovan has reportedly found his new lead assistant. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Wes Unseld Jr. has agreed to become Donovan's new right-hand man. The announcement comes after the Chicago Bulls moved on from several assistant coaches...

    Diamondbacks vs. Tigers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Saturday, May 18, 2024

    Following a four-hit effort last time out, Colten Keith leads the Detroit Tigers (22-22) into action as +127 underdogs against the Arizona Diamondbacks (21-24). The game gets underway from Chase Field at 8:10 PM ET on Saturday, live on BSDET.Arizona's...

    Bears Watchability, Identifying “Must Win” Games, One Idea For NFL’s International Plan, and Other Bears Bullets

    My social calendar unexpectedly filling up in May has been a pleasant surprise. As is projected 80-degree weather on a Saturday afternoon. Cheers, friends. Sure, the Chicago Bears 2024 strength of schedule doesn't look all too daunting. And it sure...

    Dodgers vs. Reds Probable Starting Pitchers – May 18

    The Los Angeles Dodgers (30-17) host the Cincinnati Reds (19-26). The contest at Dodger Stadium begins at 9:10 PM ET on Saturday.The Dodgers will give the ball to Walker Buehler (0-1, 7.36 ERA), who is eyeing win No. 1 on...

    REPORT: Cubs Trade Richard Lovelady to the Rays

    When the Chicago Cubs traded Jake Slaughter to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Tyson Miller, they needed to open a spot on both the active roster and the 40-man roster. They did that in one move by designating reliever Richard...

    Cubs Set a Target Date for Dansby Swanson’s Return, Daniel Palencia Also On His Way

    First, a quick update I kept out of the headline: Nico Hoerner is not in the Cubs lineup today, as he continues to deal with left hamstring tightness. The Cubs have now blown past the maximum IL backdate optimization, which...

    2024 Preakness Stakes Longshots: Just Steel & Seize the Grey Offer Value

    The Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of the Triple Crown, is not just about the favorites. Often, it's the longshots that capture the imagination and offer the best value for bettors. After Muth was forced to scratch after spiking a...

    Diamondbacks vs. Tigers Probable Starting Pitchers – May 18

    The Arizona Diamondbacks (21-24) host the Detroit Tigers (22-22). The game at Chase Field begins at 8:10 PM ET on Saturday.The Diamondbacks will call on Zac Gallen (5-2) versus the Tigers and Jack Flaherty (0-3).Diamondbacks vs. Tigers Pitcher Matchup and...

    more cubs news