{"id":5866,"date":"2017-05-13T19:45:45","date_gmt":"2017-05-13T23:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=5866"},"modified":"2017-05-13T19:45:45","modified_gmt":"2017-05-13T23:45:45","slug":"ian-happ-debut-solid-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2017\/05\/13\/ian-happ-debut-solid-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Ian Happ Debut A Solid One"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Cubs’ number two prospect\u00a0has had quite the season at Triple-A Iowa<\/strong>. A rash of injuries, not his play, is what lead to an Ian Happ<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0debut. That’s not to say his performance didn’t warrant such a move. The club had their fun with the fans on Twitter for a while about the speculated move before releasing today’s lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Anything interesting happening this afternoon? pic.twitter.com\/pkmgHnfdRN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 13, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ian Happ Debut A Solid One<\/h1>\n

The 22-year-old second baseman and outfielder has always been a hitter. With the Triple-A Iowa Cubs he was showcasing his plus hit tool, slashing .298\/.362\/.615. Coming out of the University of Cincinnati<\/strong> in 2015, Happ was drafted ninth overall, following a nice .369 average and 14 home runs in his junior season<\/a>. Named the preseason number 28 prospect in the game by MLB.com, he has climbed through the minor league system quickly. Now Happ is at the top, and he’s made the most of his first act in the the show.<\/p>\n

Inserted second in the lineup behind Kyle Schwarber<\/a><\/strong>, Happ was tasked with taking over for third baseman and 2016 NL MVP Kris Bryant<\/strong><\/a> in his absence from the order. Not an easy task for a debut. The star third baseman will miss his second consecutive game due to illness.<\/p>\n

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.@ihapp_1<\/a> makes his @MLB<\/a> debut today in St. Louis.<\/p>\n

Game preview: https:\/\/t.co\/N8e0xxaFK0<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/CqRytwOvPj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 13, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the Box<\/h2>\n

In his first at-bat, the rookie switch-hitter stepped in on the left side of the plate following a Schwarber fly out to left fielder Tommy Pham<\/strong><\/a>. Happ struck out against right-hander Carlos Martinez<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Happ saw five pitches in his second trip to the plate. Swinging and missing on an 0-0 breaking ball in the dirt, Happ drew a walk after four consecutive balls.\u00a0Anthony Rizzo<\/strong><\/a> walked and moved him over to second base. A two out ground ball from Tommy La Stella<\/strong><\/a> to end the top of the third inning left him there.<\/p>\n

The third at-bat came in the fifth inning. He reached on error with a 2-1 ground ball to first baseman Matt Carpenter<\/strong><\/a>, advancing Schwarber from first to third. A Rizzo ground ball up the middle had Happ out at second. Happ attempted to break up a potential double play and appeared successful until the controversial slide rule was applied, ending the inning with a double play anyway.<\/p>\n