Despite years of steady production, elite defense, and durability, Ian Happ remains one of the most overlooked and unfairly criticized players on the Chicago Cubs.
Perhaps it’s the fact that the Chicago Cubs went four seasons without making the playoffs from 2021–2024. And it very likely has something to do with the fact that he didn’t break through at the major league level until 2017, after the Cubs had already reached the mountaintop.
But it’s always been a bit of a mystery to me why Cubs left fielder Ian Happ doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for being one of the most consistent players in all of Major League Baseball.
So as we enter 2026—a contract year for Happ, and what could very likely be his final season on the North Side of Chicago—I wanted to point out what I find to be a glaring truth: Ian Happ is the most underrated player on the Chicago Cubs. And he might even be one of the most underrated Cubs players ever.
Happ has played nine MLB seasons for the Cubs, totaling 173 home runs, 217 doubles, and a .790 OPS at the big-league level.
There are only two players in Major League Baseball who, since 2017, have posted an OPS over .750 in every season, an OPS+ over 100 in every season, and won at least one Gold Glove Award. They are Ian Happ and Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman—very likely a future Hall of Famer.
And I should add, Happ has done it while winning four consecutive Gold Glove Awards in left field.
He’s also been one of the most reliable players in baseball from an availability standpoint.
Happ has played in 824 of the 870 regular-season Cubs games since 2020. That’s 94.7 percent of games played—nearly always on the field. Only eight players across MLB have appeared in more games over that stretch.
They say the best ability is availability, and Happ gives it to the Cubs on an annual basis.
And yet, he still gets bashed and disrespected by a portion of the fanbase that should be lifting him up. It’s not all Cubs fans—many recognize the value Happ brings to the table—but there is certainly a contingent that is unnecessarily loud in its disdain for Ian Happ.
There was hysteria online when Happ went through a down 30-game stretch. But when he closed the season hitting .311 with seven home runs and a .998 OPS over the final 28 games, it didn’t get the recognition it deserved. Where were his critics then?
Below are just some of the many examples, with Happ being called “the most disappointing Cub since Almora,” and statements like, “The Ian Happ era of Cubs baseball has been garbage,” being thrown around—as if the organization’s decision to rebuild has anything to do with Happ’s merits as a player.
Was his postseason production in 2025 everything you would have hoped for? No.
But where are the pitchforks for Pete Crow-Armstrong, who hit .185 with a .399 OPS in the postseason?
Contracts matter here, too. Ian Happ is not a superstar—but he’s also not paid like one. His $18 million salary for 2026 is a valuation he could easily command on the open market as a free agent right now. And his career earnings of $87 million (after 2026) are in no way equal to the value he has provided the Cubs organization.
It would be one thing if this were his production on a $200 million mega-deal. But Happ did this on a rookie contract and arbitration salaries for years. And never once in his big-league career has his WAR failed to outpace his salary, according to FanGraphs’ player value conversion.
He’s underpaid, underrated, and underappreciated. And it was refreshing to see MLB Network’s The Shredder rank Happ as the sixth-best left fielder in baseball right now.
Perhaps I say all of this to no avail. This plea does not come with the expectation that it will change minds. But as we head into what very well could be the final season of the Ian Happ Chicago Cubs era, I think the fanbase needs to reflect on the consistent production and incredible professionalism Happ has brought to the ballpark for nearly a decade.