At long last, there’s a shakeup in the middle of the Chicago Cubs’ lineup for tonight’s game:
- Dexter Fowler, CF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Jorge Soler, RF
- Miguel Montero, C
- Starlin Castro, SS
- Chris Coghlan, LF
- Jason Hammel, P
- Addison Russell, 2B
As I discussed in the Series Preview, my preference would still be for Chris Coghlan to be there in the cleanup spot (with Bryant and Rizzo flip-flopped to balance the lineup), but this is still a very good move in my book.
While I believe Starlin Castro can work things out over the course of the season, his current issues go far beyond a mere statistical fluke or bump in the road. He’s got an approach problem, with whiffs increasing, selectivity decreasing, groundballs increasing, etc. You don’t want to wreck his confidence, but you also can’t afford to keep having him hit behind two of the best OBP guys in baseball. With Jorge Soler looking to turn things on of late, this is the right move.
Hopefully Castro continues to sort things out, and maybe having a little less pressure on his bat will actually help.