Chicago Cubs Rumors: Who will be the Season Openers?

By Ela Teodosio, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, February 27, 2018

With spring training for Major League Baseball 2018 well underway, predictions are up as to who will open the season for the Chicago Cubs.

During the off-season, the Cubs received a boost from newcomers Tyler Chatwood and Yu Darvish as replacements for John Lackey and Jake Arrieta. This is only a couple of all the pitching staff revamp the team underwent in the past few months.

With all the new things in the Cubs nowadays, it is interesting to predict who will open the 2018 season for the team. Manager Joe Maddon will use the spring training to give its lead players a chance to prove who should get the ball for the leadoff spot.

Strong competition for the lead-off job is expected this year after Dexter Fowler left the ball club at the end of the 2016 campaign and after Jon Jay also left following the 2017 season.

According to Cubbies Crib, outfielder Ian Happ has a great chance of making it to the top. The 23-year-old really showcased his skills on Sunday, when he overtook San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner and helped the Cubs win at 12-10 in Scottsdale.

Happ's strongest competition will be outfielder Albert Almora Jr., who took center stage on Saturday when he batted lead-off against Texas.

Still also open for a spot are Kyle Schwarber and Mike Freeman, who showed impressive play at previous games. Schwarber was also used several times in the lead-off spot in 2017.

The battle for the lead-off spot aside, the Chicago Cubs is hoping to become a good baserunning team. The recent performance from Kyle Schwarber, who stole two bases in one inning on Sunday gives Haddon high hopes that it could happen.

"Obviously you can see that he does look better, that he is running better, he is moving better," Maddon said in an interview with Daily Herald. "I just like the assertiveness on the bases in general."

MLB 2018 kicks off on March 29.