Maddon likes having a left, right, left, right mix in the lineup. He also wanted to protect Anthony Rizzo with the right-handed-hitting Bryant and switch-hitter Ben Zobrist, calling it a "Rizzo sandwich." Maddon tried Bryant batting behind the first baseman, but the lineup seemed to work better with Bryant hitting ahead of Rizzo. By batting second, Bryant does get more at-bats, which is a good thing. And since Bryant won National League Most Valuable Player honors hitting No. 2 for most of 2016, he'll probably be there again this year.
Since Kyle Schwarber was able to return for the World Series last season, would he still be eligible for Comeback Player of the Year consideration in 2017?