Well, well, well, look who’s starting at second base for the defending World Series champions. Joe Maddon said he was going to have one little quirk in the lineup and in reality it’s what fans want most of the time. So, for Opening Day the Chicago Cubs open up against the St. Louis Cardinals and Javier Baez will be starting at second base.
That means Ben Zobrist will go back to right field, while Jason Heyward starts in center field. We already knew the top three hitters coming into the season and it’s still scary for opposing pitchers. Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo up in the first inning. Oh baby!
Also, Maddon will be going back to batting the pitcher eighth, but the surprise, maybe not that much, is that Baez is in the nine hole. That will change when Albert Almora Jr. is starting, I assume.
Here is your 2017 #Cubs #OpeningDay lineup!
Game preview: https://t.co/SPOgVGGiEq pic.twitter.com/jXZSN2Gsb8
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 2, 2017
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So, for the first game of the season, there’s no Almoea or Jon Jay. Obviously, Maddon has as much flexibility as ever before, so expect different looks throughout the year in the lineup.
Ahh, baseball is back. Finally. Let’s go!
