Why Is The Cubs Best Hitter In The Last Month Still Batting Ninth In The Rotation?

There has been a lot of concern recently surrounding the Chicago Cub's offense and how Craig Counsell has handled who has been in the starting lineup.

There is also a ton of criticism as to who is batting where, and why, like Matt Shaw. Shaw has been arguably the best offensive weapon for the Cubs' in the last month, so why is he hitting last in rotation (when Counsell even plays him).

Shaw had a rough first half of the season and there is no doubt about that. There was even a lot of trade talk when the deadline was creeping up, but he has shown that keeping him a Cub was a great move by management.

In the last 30-games he is posting a slash line of .274/.326/.667 with eight home runs and 17 RBI to compliment his offensive production. In the last month he also leads all of Chicago's hitters in homers with significant less at-bats. He trails only Michael Busch in RBI, but he has been to the plate 26 fewer times.

The 23-year-old is the lone player to record an OPS over .800 (minimum 70 at-bats) in the last month. His OPS is creeping up on 1.00.

But when he plays he is the ninth batter. NINTH!

Counsell's Recent Moves With the Team

Tucker hitting a homer in a blue jersey with red lettering and numbers with grey pants and a blue shin guar — Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kyle Tucker has struggled to say the least and it has been revealed, just recently, that he has been playing with a fracture. Tucker played through it phenomenally in June, but it was a downhill slide after that. So why was Counsell still putting him on the field?

Counsell finally addressed the issue with Kyle Tucker and his offensive rut in the most recent series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Tucker needed a mental reset and the offense needed a jumpstart.

Tucker and Willi Castro stepped aside for a few games and what happened? The Cubs went on a three-game win streak against the No.1 team in baseball. Who was on the field? Matt Shaw and Owen Caissie.

Then what did Counsell do for the final game of the series (with a chance to take down the top team in their division again)? Put Shaw and Caissie on the bench.

Shaw in a white and blue pinstripe uniform celebrating with a blue helmet — David Banks-Imagn Images

This Chicago roster is incredible. They should not have fallen this far down in the division race even if it is the Brewers that they are fighting with for the top spot. There needs to be some changes on the field sooner than later.

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