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They’ve got several options Allen Craig Jersey , including Ben Zobrist."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Chicago Cubs recapsChicago Cubs minor leaguesChicago Cubs essaysChicago Cubs game threadsWrigley Field renovationsFull archiveLibrary Bleed Cubbie Blue Community GuidelinesCurrent time in ChicagoBCB Specials & Site InfoWinter 2019 music threadsCubs StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Cubs newsYahoo Cubs team pageYahoo Cubs reportYahoo Cubs depth chartYahoo Cubs transactionsYahoo Cubs photosOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁旵hicago Cubs essaysChicago Cubs spring trainingWho should be the Cubs’ leadoff hitter in 2019?New,128commentsThey’ve got several options, including Ben Zobrist.CSTShareTweetShareShareWho should be the Cubs’ leadoff hitter in 2019?Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY SportsFor the third straight year, the Cubs enter the season without a clear leadoff hitter. Joe Maddon has shown the propensity to move guys around the lineup (and the diamond) based on matchups for each game, and that will happen again this year, particularly with the leadoff spot. That said, here are the guys you can expect to see leading off at some point during the 2019 season. Ben ZobristPerhaps the presumptive favorite to be the primary leadoff hitter for the Cubs this season, Zobrist is coming off a renaissance year in 2018, recording a slash line of .305/.378/.440 and a 123 wRC+. He performed well atop the order last year, too, with a .378 OBP and 121 wRC+ in 28 games. Zobrist’s switch-hitting ability and knack for getting on base makes him an attractive option for the top of the lineup, but entering his age-38 season, how well will he hold up?Ian HappAfter leading the Cactus League in home runs in 2018, Happ looked to be the combination of power and speed at the top of the lineup the Cubs had missed since the departure of Dexter Fowler. Happ had a tantalizing season last year, which was seen as a disappointment after coming off of a fantastic rookie performance in 2017. Among players with at least 450 plate appearances in 2018, Happ walked 15.1 percent of the time, good for 11th in all of baseball. That’s good! However, Happ struck out 36.1 percent of the time, second to only Chris Davis, a guy who had one of the worst seasons in baseball history. That’s bad. Happ’s power numbers dropped last year too, recording an ISO of .176 after posting an ISO of .261 in 2017. Even with all the strikeouts and a decrease in power, Happ was still an above average offensive player in 2018, posting a wRC+ of 106. Happ is arguably the fastest player on the roster too, which makes him a good fit to hit before Bryzzo. Maybe 2018 was a sophomore slump, or maybe that’s truly who Ian Happ is; a player who strikes out a ton http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-hand-jersey , walks a fair bit, and can hit for some power. Long term, I still think Happ is the guy at the top of the lineup, but he’ll need to prove that he can put the ball in play more often in 2019. Albert Almora Jr.I know a lot of people on this site clamored for Almora to be the leadoff man last year, but he’s the least likely Cub to be penciled in at the top of the order. Almora saw the most playing time of his young career in 2018, accruing more plate appearances than his 2016 and 2017 season combined. In return, Almora posted a .286/.323/.378 line, worth a wRC+ of 89. Almora has a knack for putting the ball in play, but he doesn’t walk very much because of it, drawing a free pass only five-percent of the time in 2018. He doesn’t hit for power either, posting an ISO of .092 last season. Against southpaws, the argument becomes a little more convincing, but even then, Almora only posted an sOPS+ of 102 last year, meaning he was only two-percent better than league average against lefties last year. Almora belongs in the eight hole, or the nine hole if the guy below is leading off...Kyle SchwarberI can hear you yelling at your computer already. “But Alex, Kyle is a POWER HITTER, not a LEADOFF HITTER!!!” And it’s true, he is a power hitter, but he’s also an on-base machine. In 2018, Schwarber ranked 8th in baseball with a walk percentage of 15.3. That’s elite. He also struck out 27.5 percent of the time, but that was the lowest mark of his career, albeit by only 0.7%. Schwarber actually grades as a slightly above average base runner too, having posted a BsR score of 1.1 in 2018. Even more, Schwarber ranked 16th in all of baseball last year in pitches per plate appearance with 4.19 PPA Tony Gwynn Jersey , easily leading the Cubs in that category. In 2018, the Cubs scored in the first inning just 26.2 percent of the time, ranking 22nd in baseball, and last among teams with a winning record. I lost count of how many times the Cubs found themselves in an early hole last year, and having your best hitters at the forefront of the lineup helps to mitigate that.Maddon has tried this experiment before, and as I’m sure many of you remember, it did not turn out well. In 37 starts in the leadoff spot in 2017, Schwarber batted .190/.312/.381, worth a subpar 83 wRC+. With that being said, all but two of Schwarber’s plate appearances in the leadoff spot in 2017 occurred before he was sent back to Des Moines to work on his swing. Whether placing him in the leadoff spot is what caused his offensive slump, that’s up for debate. I’ll admit, Schwarber is my vote for being the leadoff hitter this year, as his on-base prowess is exactly what needs to be in front of Bryzzo. A Schwarber, Bryant, Rizzo, Baez 1-4 is about as scary as it comes, and it keeps the L/R/L/R that Maddon covets so much. I love Schwarber batting leadoff even more if the pitcher hits 8th, which is probably what would happen if Schwarber leads off. Anthony RizzoThe Greatest Leadoff Hitter of All Time. Joking aside, it won’t surprise me to see Rizzo atop the order at some point during the 2019 season. In 31 games in the leadoff spot last year, Rizzo hit .328/.428/.552, good for a wRC+ of 161. While Rizzo is undoubtedly entrenched in the middle of the lineup, if the offense is slumping at some point over the summer, expect to see Rizzo leading off. So what do you think, who is your vote to be the leadoff hitter in 2019? NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets are transferring longtime media relations boss Jay Horwitz to a new role as vice president of alumni public relations and team historian.Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon announced Horwitz’s job change Wednesday at a press conference that was more of a roast by former players, coaches and executives. Horwitz has been with the team for nearly 40 years Dave Winfield Jersey , and figures from throughout his tenure attended.Among them: Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Mookie Wilson, Keith Hernandez, John Franco, Joe Torre, Terry Collins, Steve Phillips and Omar Minaya. A number of current Mets also attended, including captain David Wright.Horwitz will work in his new role to aid next season’s 50-year anniversary of the Mets 1969 World Series championship, and also on further connecting the club’s alumni.The 73-year-old Horwitz has been beloved by players for his bumbling but loyal personality.Horwitz recalled how he spilled a can of orange juice on general manager Frank Cashen during his job interview in 1980 but got the job anyway. He was then late to his first day of work, mistakenly commuting to Brooklyn instead of Shea Stadium.Horwitz has often been a subject of clubhouse pranks. Wright admitted to repeatedly rubbing eye black on Horwitz’s binoculars. Franco said he used to cut off Horwitz’s ties in his sleep. Horwitz even said players once “made a No. 2 in my bed” on the road.“The older guys taught me, if they don’t like you, they won’t screw around with you,” Horwitz said.Players also tried to set up Horwitz on dates during road trips. Some were more successful than others — he claimed to break out in hives after the team brought a stripper to the Wrigley Field clubhouse for his birthday years ago.Wright also said Horwitz was instrumental in helping him establish a good relationship with the New York media, and Franco praised Horwitz for his loyalty.“He would fight for the players,” Franco said. He later choked up when adding “I love you man. Thank you.”Horwitz’s first assistant with the Mets, Tim Hamilton, died Wednesday. Hamilton predated Horwitz with New York, and Horwitz told The Associated Press that Hamilton was a “great guy” who helped acclimate him to life at Shea Stadium. Hamilton’s ex-wife, Lorraine Hamilton, is still the Mets’ executive director of broadcasting and events.