Cubs’ Ian Happ hopes Saturday’s big night can break him out of slump

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nobody was in denial about Ian Happ’s recent struggles. The Chicago Cubs’ switch-hitting left fielder was losing playing time against lefties and entered Saturday on a 0-for-20 slump.

In Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals, Happ struck out in his first at-bat, his fifth straight strikeout. In his next plate appearance, he made hard contact, lining out to center field. That seemed to help Happ find his timing. The next time he stepped to the plate, he slugged a ball over the right-field fence, and in his final at-bat of the evening, Happ ripped a line-drive double to right.

“Finally barreled a ball up,” Happ said of the lineout in his second at-bat. “Felt like I saw the ball really well those first two (at-bats) and then put a couple good swings in my next at-bats. Just some good swings to build upon.”

Hours before the game, Happ sat cross-legged on the floor of the clubhouse. Next to him was Cubs assistant hitting coach John Mallee. This wasn’t unusual. Mallee and Happ have known each other for a decade, dating back to Happ’s first major-league season in 2017. Mallee left Chicago after 2017 to join the coaching staffs of the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, but he returned to the Cubs in 2024.

“We’ve been together a long time,” Happ said. “Just checking in to start the day.”

Still, the image of the two talking hitting in the clubhouse stood out. Happ, a consistent presence in the Cubs lineup, was in the midst of one of the worst stretches of his career. Happ started the season strong, but saw his wRC+ drop to 101 entering Saturday’s game. His strikeout rate had jumped to over 31 percent, his highest since 2018.

“Timing’s been off,” Happ said before the game. “Been a little bit late on heaters and a little bit ahead on off-speed, and that’s not a great combo. Doing a pretty good job at controlling the strike zone and not chasing all over the place. But when you’re missing hittable pitches and getting behind in counts, it gets really tough.”

Happ is right: He’s not chasing much. But his in-zone swing-and-miss rate of 22.9 percent is the highest it’s been since 2021. He’d been hitless in August and was struggling to make quality contact.

The above graphic shows Happ’s 15-game rolling wRC+ for his career. Entering play on Saturday, he’d only had one worse stretch (ending the 2020 regular season) than the one he was in before hitting that home run.

Happ knows the difference between a patch of bad luck and legitimate poor performance. In those moments where the ball just isn’t falling, it’s easier to stick to the process and trust that good results will eventually come. This rough stretch, though, has required some adjustments.

“In the past, there’s times where the expected numbers look good, and you’re getting a lot of bad luck,” Happ said. “That’s not what’s happening right now. The strikeout rate’s too high, quality of contact is pretty poor. So there’s definitely a ton of adjustments. But if you chase adjustments around all the time, it gets hard to compete in the box. So, it’s still a balance. But I definitely need to make a few tweaks and get it right.”

Cubs manager Craig Counsell hasn’t lost faith in Happ. Before the game and after Happ’s nice night, Counsell emphasized that the best version of the Cubs includes Happ performing at a high level. Counsell pointed out that Happ had carried the team with his bat earlier in the season, and he said he trusted that eventually, Happ would do it again.

Perhaps Saturday was the beginning of that turn. Yes, Happ will see fewer lefties going forward. That’s why the Cubs acquired Tyrone Taylor from the New York Mets before the trade deadline. But Counsell isn’t abandoning Happ, and the outfielder appreciates the manager’s trust in him. Happ, a 10-year MLB veteran, never really stopped believing in himself. He has struggled before, and he knows that these moments pass.

“I’m going to help this team win baseball games and playoff games,” Happ said. “I’ll be here, I’m gonna grind through it. I’ll be out there. I have a lot of belief in myself that I’m going to help throughout the course of the season.”