When the Cubs made the relatively surprising move to option Ian Happ to Triple-A Iowa at the start of the season, many took it as a very public example of Theo Epstein’s “production over talent” edict. That sounds odd if we apply it in a binary sense or through too narrow a lens, since it had fans wanting to demote or DFA every player who struggled for a week. But in Happ’s case, there were some obvious flaws the Cubs wanted to see ironed out.
Specifically, the big holes in his swing that left the switch-hitter overly susceptible to the strikeout.