Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo will form a one-two punch at the top of the lineup, starting with Saturday’s late opener, that much we already know for certain. But you only lead off a game once, so the next level of strategy is ensuring that those hitters have more opportunities to drive in runs when they come up for subsequent plate appearances. As we have seen from the Cubs in the past, that could mean batting the pitcher eighth.
Or, as was the case in roughly 86% of their games last season, it’ll mean keeping the starter in the more traditional ninth spot.