Is it finally happening? Or should I say … Happ-ening? … no, no I won’t say that. Because it’s lame. I’ll save it for when he returns, because then I’ll feel like being intentionally lame in service of dad humor.
But after another huge game for Iowa last night, it’s fair to at least start paying attention to whether the many adjustments to Ian Happ’s approach and swing – the very reason he was sent back to AAA to open the season – are finally taking hold.
https://twitter.com/IowaCubs/status/1147312149267722240
Happ added two walks in the game, and over his last 10 games, Happ has gone .275/.383/.550 with a 126 wRC+, a 21.3% K rate, and a 14.9% BB rate. We’d need to see muuuuuuch more (or have a deeper understanding of what’s happening behind the scenes) to have confidence that it was time for him to come back up to the big leagues, but it’s a start. This is the first stretch he’s had this year where he’s reduced the strikeout rate *AND* still hit for power.
It didn’t seem from the jump like Happ’s work at Iowa was going to take more than a half-season, but maybe that’s where we are. Maybe there’s a hope that he can put things in order for a return to the Cubs after the Trade Deadline? Maybe he can be a spark in August and September?