Craig Counsell finally shook up his struggling batting order, but the real solution lies in unleashing two top prospects currently wasting away on the bench.
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell finally made major changes to the lineup.
With the Cubs averaging just 2.8 runs per game since May 9 and in the midst of a six-game losing streak, Counsell decided it was time to adjust the batting order.
He moved his best two hitters (Michael Busch and Nico Hoerner) to the middle of the order, moved Pete Crow-Armstrong from the No. 8 spot to the leadoff spot, and replaced Michael Conforto with Ian Happ in left field.
Here’s how the Cubs will lineup for Saturday’s contest against the Astros:
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
- Alex Bregman, 3B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Michael Conforto, LF
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Moises Ballesteros, DH
- Miguel Amaya, C
- Dansby Swanson, SS
It’s about time that Counsell shook up the lineup a bit. The old lineup of Happ and Suzuki hitting back-to-back wasn’t working, and moving Busch to the No. 3 hole was a must. The lefty slugger is batting .300 with one home run and 21 RBI with runners in scoring position this season.
It’s also interesting to see Crow-Armstrong in the leadoff spot. The Cubs center fielder doesn’t get on base at a high level, has a bottom 30% walk rate, and continues to swing at pitchers outside the zone (40.7% chase rate).
However, Crow-Armstrong was successful at the top of the lineup last year. He was 12-for-34 with three home runs, one double, two triples, 11 RBI, and two stolen bases while hitting in the leadoff spot in eight games.
Despite Counsell finally pleasing fans by switching up the lineup, there is still one major problem. Where are the new call-ups?
The Cubs have called up both Pedro Ramirez (Friday) and Kevin Alcantara (Saturday) over the past two days. Ramirez is the team’s No. 2 overall prospect, while Alcantara is the team’s No. 5 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline.
Unfortunately, neither player is in Chicago’s lineup on Saturday.
With the Cubs struggling so much on offense recently, one of these two prospects should be in the lineup. They could provide a massive boost to a lineup that has scored just seven combined runs this week.
Ramirez batted .312 with nine home runs and 40 RBI across 43 games with the Iowa Cubs, and Alcantara's 15 homers were tied for the most among all Triple-A hitters. Their strong offensive numbers in the Minors this season are why they were both promoted.
Counsell should give Ramirez and Alcantara a shot to show what they can bring to this offense. Maybe they can both provide a spark and help get this Cubs offense back on track.
What’s the point of calling up both Ramirez and Alcantara to ride the bench?
See what you have in them, especially in a time when most of the Cubs players are currently lost at the plate. Hopefully, one of them will be in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale. Counsell might just be easing both prospects in.
