Ben Zobrist is going to be a central fixture in the Cubs' 2018 postseason lineup (assuming they make it to October, of course).
It's not yet known where he will bat or what position he will play, but make no mistake: the 37-year-old will absolutely be in the lineup in some form or another if he's healthy.
That should come as no surprise to those who've watched the 2018 Cubs all year.
Many were ready to write Zobrist off an aging veteran with declining skills after his subpar 2017 campaign (.232 AVG, .693 OPS), but now that he's healthy, his wrist is healed and he's been well-rested, Joe Maddon has been unleashing Zobrist.
The utility man hadn't started more than three games in a row all season before finding his name in the lineup five straight games last week (though one game was just as a designated hitter, which was sort of like a half day off). And that was even with Daniel Murphy in town playing almost every inning at second base in that span.
But it was clear Maddon felt the Cubs lineup needed Zobrist in it as they struggled to work through an offensive slump and it's impossible to argue that point given how Zobrist has rebounded this year (.308 AVG, .849 OPS).
Maddon gave Zobrist the day off Sunday, but made a special point to note that he will absolutely be needed in the lineup Monday and Tuesday as the Cubs will have a tough task facing Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard in a little preview of what kind of pitching they could be seeing a lot of in October.
MLB
After Sunday's 9-0 win, Maddon discussed how impressive the lineup was even without Zobrist and Kris Bryant, who begins a rehab assignment Monday.
"Hopefully KB is on the horizon also and today was sans Zobrist," Maddon said. "Just imagine what it looks like when Zo's back out there, too. A lot of good stsuff. Don't get too jacked up, just keep playing it right, keep working good at-bats and we face good pitching tomorrow."
As the final stretch of the season draws near, we'll be running out a prediction of what the Cubs' playoff lineup and 25-man roster may look like every Monday.
(Note: This is all subject to change, of course. It is not a prediction of what's to come, just how the Cubs may line up on Game 1 of the playoffs if the season ended today.)
With the clear importance of Zobrist's bat in the lineup and the continued positive rehab of Bryant, things are startinig to come into focus with exactly five weeks left in the regular season.
With a recent five-game winning streak, the Cubs are still firmly atop the National League standings, 3.5 games over than the Atlanta Braves for the best record. That means the Cubs would be playing the winner of the NL wild-card game in the NLDS, which right now would be a battle between the Brewers and Cardinals in St. Louis.
So let's pretend as if the Cardinals win it thanks to homefield advantage. And if the Cardinals do so by utilizing their ace, Miles Mikolas, in that wild-card game, that leaves right-hander Jack Flaherty as the most likely option for Game 1 of the NLDS, so that's who we'll line the Cubs up against.
1. Daniel Murphy - 2B
2. Kris Bryant - 3B
3. Anthony Rizzo - 1B
4. Javy Baez - SS
5. Ben Zobrist - LF
6. Jason Heyward - RF
7. Willson Contreras - C
8. Cole Hamels - P
9. Albert Almora Jr. - CF
Why no Kyle Schwarber, you ask? And Almora against a right-hander?
Flaherty has actually been quite a bit tougher on left-handed hitters this season than righties — .583 OPS vs. .658 OPS. It's worth noting both Almora and Schwarber started each of the two times the Cubs have faced Flaherty this season, but that was before Murphy's arrival.
Heyward and Almora are in there for their defense and Schwarber awaits as a dynamic pinch-hitting option off the bench against a right-hander should a situation arise.
Murphy has given the lineup a much-needed boost and has served as a stabilizing presence in his first week with the team atop the order. His bat and offensive approach will be extremely important for this lineup in the postseason and he can always be swapped out for Addison Russell or David Bote later in the game for defensive purposes (Baez would move to second and Russell play short in that scenario).
The rest of the Cubs' bench should look like this:
Victor Caratini
David Bote
Addison Russell
Ian Happ
In this case, Tommy La Stella doesn't crack the roster with Bote drawing the final spot. La Stella is still one of the best pinch-hitters in the game, but he's shown an alarming lack of power this season (.315 SLG) and Bote is a better defender and has played a key role for this team over the last month-plus.
This is all assuming Russell is healthy, of course, which the Cubs expect him to be. He played through the left hand/finger injury for months before hitting the disabled list last week and is currently resting before ramping it back up to presumably rejoin the active roster sometime in mid-September.
Pitching staff
Hamels is the easy choice to get the start at the current moment.
Kyle Hendricks threw a gem Sunday and has looked very good lately even if the results haven't necessarily shown that, but Hamels is the clear ace of the staff right now. He's been absolutely incredible since coming over from the Texas Rangers last month, culminating in a complete-game effort Thursday night.
Hendricks would slot in behind Hamels as the likely Game 2 starter, with Jon Lester getting the ball in Game 3 and Jose Quintana going in Game 4.
That leaves a bullpen that looks like this:
Brandon Morrow
Pedro Strop
Carl Edwards Jr.
Steve Cishek
Justin Wilson
Brandon Kintzler
Jesse Chavez
Mike Montgomery
Without a fifth starter necessary in the postseason, that permits the Cubs to keep an eight-man bullpen (as they have all year) even with an extra position player on the bench.
Montgomery has been fantastic in the rotation, but he also has plenty of experience and a quality track record as a swingman available out of the bullpen, too.
The Cubs would also need another left-handed option out of the bullpen beyond Wilson and right now, it's unknown whether Drew Smyly will pitch at all this season and Brian Duensing, Randy Rosario and Jorge De La Rosa have not done much to solidify a postseason roster spot.
Duensing is currently rehabbing a sore shoulder in Triple-A Iowa, but has really struggled this year (7.34 ERA, 1.84 WHIP). De La Rosa has been OK in his 5 appearances, but has mostly been used in low-leverage situations. The rookie Rosario has a nice ERA (2.65), but the peripherals are worrisome with a 1.39 WHIP and nearly as many walks as strikeouts in 37.1 innings.
The two X-factors to the Cubs postseason pitching staff are the health of Morrow and the effectiveness of Quintana.
Morrow played catch Sunday at Wrigley Field, but has not pitched since the All-Star Break and is still not 100 percent after dealing with a biceps issue in his throwing arm. The Cubs do not have a timetable or set plan for when their closer will return to the active roster.
Quintana has struggled to find consistency this season, too often falling behind hitters and failing to go deep into games, even if he doesn't give up a bunch of runs.
He's also dealt with a little bit of left shoulder fatigue, so if the Cubs believe he can't be effective in the postseason, they may opt to keep him off the roster, put Montgomery in the rotation and slot in De La Rosa or Rosario in the bullpen.
The Cubs have a lot of faith in Quintana and expect him to be a big part of their rotation in the short and long term. But the final month of the season will be a big test for 29-year-old southpaw.