MESA, Ariz. (670 The Score) -- With Opening Day just more than two weeks away, one Cubs player is certainly making his presence felt in a positional battle in spring training.
Ian Happ is on track to win the center field job as he continues to produce a strong spring. Happ went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the Cubs' win against the Reds on Tuesday, and he's hitting .481 with two homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.315 OPS in 27 at-bats across 10 games in Cactus League play.
"The swing has improved, timing and rhythm have been there for me," Happ said. "Those parts of my approach are really important aspects of getting the job done. I am thinking more about approach than mechanics."
Happ is battling Albert Almora Jr. to be the primary center fielder after both had largely disappointing 2019 seasons, when Happ opened and spent most of the season at Triple-A and Almora hit .236 with a .651 OPS at the big league level.
As Happ has stood out early, Almora has shown some promising signs too, hitting .296 with two homers, six RBIs and a .900 OPS in 27 at-bats across 10 games as well.
Happ, 25, was humbled last season, as he was demoted upon struggling mightily in spring training and didn't get back to the big leagues until late July. While in the minor leagues, Happ worked on hitting the ball gap to gap and getting a good pitch to hit earlier in the count.
When he finally did get a chance to prove himself again with the Cubs, Happ produced. He hit .264 with 11 homers, 30 RBIs and an .898 OPS in 58 gams.
"I would say it's just shorter and quicker to the ball," Happ said of his swing this spring. "The approach is better, and the ability to handle different pitches have come a long way."
First-year Cubs manager David Ross has liked what he has seen from Happ.
"I see a guy focused right now and knowing what he wants," Ross said. "He is not as serious as he looks all of the time. He just is not the smile-for-the-camera type. Ian is just a dry, witty type guy. His teammates like him. He is definitely on a mission. Both he and Almora are looking to prove something this spring, and both have had good ones. Both are in a good place mentally and physically."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
