Feb. 11--Kris Bryant's final at-bat of 2015 left a majestic image in the minds of Cubs fans already looking ahead to the 2016 season
Bryant clubbed a towering two-run homer on a 3-2 changeup that delayed the inevitability of a season-eliminating 8-3 loss to the Mets in the National League Championship Series.
One day later, President Theo Epstein gushed over Bryant's ability to adjust as he drove in Jorge Soler from second base and avoided the frustration several Cubs hitters experienced in clutch situations last season.
With the addition of free agents Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward, the Cubs addressed a need to get on base more and become less susceptible to strikeouts.
The biggest long-range lift, however, should stem from the expected improvement of young players such as Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Javier Baez and Bryant.
Their impressive home runs and extra-base hits often overshadowed the fact their strikeouts led to a franchise-record 1,518 whiffs and a .211 batting average with two outs and runners in scoring position.
"Our young players are very mature, very grounded and have experienced a lot already," Epstein said last month at the Cubs Convention. "That will help them avoid a 'sophomore slump' and adjust to playing with greater expectations as individuals and as a team given what they accomplished.
"We're aware of the new expectations this year and how a team might respond, but we're not concerned. We really trust the makeup of our players, individually and as a group."
Manager Joe Maddon used 119 lineups last season and one this season could feature Zobrist and Heyward batting 1-2. Zobrist and Heyward posted identical .359 on-base percentages last season with their respective teams, and Zobrist struck out only 56 times in 535 appearances.
The hope is that Zobrist and Heyward, who batted a career-high .293 last season and has a lifetime .353 on-base percentage, can set the table for an offense that hit 97 of its 171 home runs with no one on base.
"'Zo' shows up as more of a veteran presence among the position players, and that's something we haven't had," Maddon said after Zobrist, 34, agreed to a four-year, $56 million contract in December.
With more seasoning, the Cubs should generate more runs. The Cubs had six players who saw an average of more than four pitches per plate appearance, and Anthony Rizzo ranked ninth (78) and Bryant 10th (77) in the NL in walks.
But Bryant's swing-and-miss percent rate of 34.9, second in the NL to Joc Pederson's 35.1 mark, offset that. Moreover, Jorge Soler was third with a 33.4 mark and Addison Russell (30.2) was 10th among players with at least 1,500 pitches seen, according to the Bill James Handbook 2016.
Bryant said at the Cubs Convention that he altered the path of his swing after noticing last year he was fouling or missing pitches that he normally would square.
"I don't always look at the negatives," Bryant said. "I'm a pretty positive person. Last year was a great year for me, and I really hope to have an even better one."
mgonzales@tribpub.com
