Hello Cubs world,

those who follow me know that I made projections for the idea batting order (as tough as that is). Remember, i asserted with caveats that a manger will always make small adjustments based on ballpark, who's pitching, how the guys are feelings, and so on. 

Even still, the statistics converge on a "good general idea" - and its a plan closer to my own than theirs.    
Although they have been shifting things around very actively, a few things are dominant. Let's take a look at his most favored starting order vs RHP so far, The first four have been fairly consistent, and the last two. 

            

1 Hoerner - nearly every game

2 Bregman - sometimes Busch/Ballesteros 

3 Suzuki - most games since healthy

4 Happ - nearly every game 

5 Busch - unstable

6 Kelly - unstable

7 Ballesteros - unstable

8 PCA - nearly every game

9 Swanson - nearly every game

MY STANDARDIZED ORDER

Now let's look at the player stats vs RHP through the first 42 games. and compare it to my own preferred order. Note: several of these hitters excel versus lefties: Bregman (.392 OBP). Kelly, Shaw, and Swanson, in particular, are much better going that way. 

RISP is the only stat listed against BOTH handed pitching, due to the small sample size.  

If I underlined the stat, it means it hit the sweet spot for the batting order I suggested. 

If I bolded the stat, the player is in the top 3 on the team. 

I didn't bother scoring Amaya, as he is merely the backup catcher right now. 

                     OBP  AVG  OPS  RISP SB

1 Happ          .375   ,241  ,810 .156  2

2 Busch        .338 .244 .735  .326  1

3 Hoerner    .355  ,276  ,768 ,261  8

4 Suzuki       .391   .274  .890 .114  0

5 Bregman  .309 .246  .678 .267  2    

6 PCA            ,315  ,236  ,712  ,302 10

7 Ballesteros .321  .242 .704 .240 0

8 Kelly          ,344  ,235  .702 .263 0 

9 Swanson   .294  .203 .635 .195  3

BENCH BATS

Conforto      ,452   ,326  1,126 .222 0

Shaw            .302  .219   .668 .192 2

Analysis: How close am I? Let's doublecheck! 

Well, its hard to say, but I'd argue my lineup is closer to coherent than theirs.

#1 looks CORRECT> Happ's terrible RISP but elite OBP and OPS is a classic sign of a leadoff hitter.

#2: Suzuki fits here instead of Busch. His team WORST RISP despite a team BEST OBP. fits better. 

#3 Hoerner makes perfect sense at #3 because all his numbers align with your rally extender guy - especially adding the fact he almost never strikes out and can advance the runners with guaranteed contact. His lower OBP and higher RISP means yes, i was correct, Happ is a better leadoff guy. 

#4 With Busch's elite RISP, hitting in the #4 hole makes a lot of sense.

#5 Bregman still feels right because of his solid RISP - his other stats should recover after a bad slump. 

#6 PCA is spot on. He can act as a second leadoff style player mid-order, move around the bases, and also come through as a situational hitter with an elite RISP, despite low batting average. 

#7 Ballesteros can be moved back, and Kelly up, if for no other reason than the lefty/righty thing.  

#8 Kelly acts as a second cleanup hitter in the 7 spot- he's been more consistent than most. Solid RISP and power helps one slot higher. 

#9 Swanson is correct here - he has flashes of brilliance, is great with sac hits, and runs the bases well, but the low average holds him back. 

Verdict:  Here's my revised order (faith in Busch and Bregman heating up):

This order is nearly perfect in OBP, AVG, OPS, RISP sorting! Of course, it may revert to my earlier suggestion by midseason - and I kinda expect it to do that. But for now, this order fits their stats most closely: 

Happ          .375   ,241  ,810 .156  2

Suzuki        .391   .274  .890 .114  0

Hoerner     .355  ,276  ,768 ,261  8

Busch         .338 .244 .735  .326  1

Bregman   .309 .246  .678 .267  2 

PCA            ,315  ,236  ,712  ,302 10

Kelly           ,344  ,235  .702 .263 0

Ballesteros .321  .242 .704 .240 0

Swanson   .294  .203 .635 .195  3