How Ian Happ moved past scary eye injury in 2020 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The 2020 season was a tale of two months for Cubs center fielder Ian Happ, and you can pinpoint a brightly colored line on the calendar separating the two.
A black and blue line, specifically.
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Just about the time Happ was joining the National League MVP conversation, he fouled a ball that deflected into his face on Sept. 3 against Pittsburgh. What followed was a three-week slump to end the season in which he faded from the MVP picture.
“It was a tough three-week stretch to end the year for sure,” said Happ, who hit .171/.259/.276 in 20 games after the foul ball incident. “I think the eye was something that was a challenge and more than anything, a mental challenge.
"When something like that happens, especially something that really is paramount to your game, the doubt can creep in pretty easily if things start to go sideways. So, for me, getting past that was really important.”
Happ was one of top performers in baseball last season through August. He established himself as an everyday player, working his way up the lineup and taking over the leadoff spot after Kris Bryant hit the injured list. In his first 34 games, he held a .294/.417/.624 slash line, with nine home runs and 20 RBIs.
The 26-year-old didn't blame his performance down the stretch on the foul ball incident. However, he noted the difficult process involved in playing the shortened season had a compounding effect as he tried to get back on track with limited time left on the schedule.
Happ added that having a few days off before the playoffs helped him take a step back and make adjustments, citing being on time while hitting left-handed. He provided the Cubs’ only offense in their two-game Wild Card Series loss to the Marlins with a Game 1 home run, going 4-for-8 overall.
“I really felt good about making those adjustments and the goal of this year will be to make them quicker and to make them quicker mentally,” he said, “because more than anything in this game, it’s very mental and any kind of doubt in your physical ability will show up really quickly whether you can feel it or not.”
Happ burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2017, hitting 24 home runs. After struggling in the second half of 2018, he was demoted to Triple-A for the first few months of the 2019 season. He returned that July, putting together a solid two months to end the season, which included an NL Player of the Week honor in September.
Entering 2021, he hopes to maintain a level of consistency at the plate for a full 162-game season.
"It's the quality of the at-bat," he said. "It's understanding quicker into at-bats or into games adjustments that need to be made. Great players make adjustments pitch to pitch or after a few bad at-bats. They don't let it spiral.
"Consistency is definitely one thing [I hope to improve on]."
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