Did he win the job in Spring Training? Absolutely. Ian Happ had an incredible Cactus League slate. He hit. 333 (13 -for-48) with seven home runs and twelve RBI. With numbers like that, he was the clearcut winner of Chicago Cubs‘ leadoff man.
But his success hasn’t carried over. It’s an adage If a player you like struggles in spring training you say “Oh it’s just spring training.” On the flipside, If a friend rants to you that a player you hate has a good spring you say “Oh it’s just spring training.”
Early on at least it feels like Happ’s Catus League success was a fluke.