Happ Focuses On Progress
CHICAGO–When 2015 first-rounder Ian Happ reported to short-season Eugene last summer with orders to play in the outfield, he introduced himself and told manager Gary Van Tol: “I’m a second baseman.”
Confused, Van Tol checked up the chain of command.
“I assured him Ian was just going to play outfield,” farm director Jaron Madison said. “He was amazing. It’s a little bit different when guys are getting acclimated to pro ball and get their first taste, but he stayed committed to wanting to be a second baseman.”
He had to wait a few months, but the keystone was always the Cubs’ long-term plan for Happ. And when the versatile Cincinnati product got his chance to focus on the position last offseason and into 2016, he took off.
“I think the biggest thing is just the focus,” Madison said. “He’s shown everyone that, defensively, he’s going to work hard, and he’s made progress beyond what we thought at this point.”
Even to the point of surprising team officials with how well he had hit while working on the nuances of middle-infield work.
The No. 9 overall pick in 2015 recorded an .885 OPS in 69 games at high Class A Myrtle Beach, which earned him a late-June promotion to Double-A Tennessee, where the 21-year-old switch-hitter batted .355/.391/.532 through 17 games.
“The pitching in Double-A is really difficult,” Madison said, “but for some reason, he’s locked in and squaring the ball up consistently.
“He’s hitting in the middle of the lineup and playing a good second base. So now we’ll probably expose him to outfield a little bit more—maybe once a week instead of every 10 days.”
Versatility is the ultimate goal for prospects as they try to integrate into manager Joe Maddon’s moving-pieces lineup.
CUBBYHOLES
• Tennessee righthander Duane Underwood, the system’s top pitching prospect this spring, returned to the disabled list in early July with elbow soreness. An MRI revealed no structural damage, but the club is proceeding with caution.
• The Cubs signed their first pick in the draft, third-round righthander Thomas Hatch from Oklahoma State. They plan to put a strict limit on how much he throws this summer after a heavy college workload.
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