A crowded Cubs outfield has plenty to prove in 2018

"I'll say it — it was my worst year statistically and physically since I've been in the big leagues," Zobrist said. "I also can say this confidently: It was the best year personally in my life because I learned so much through that adversity.

"And it was a big-time growth year to fight through some of those things and still try to maintain a positive attitude and keep working in the same way, even though I was pretty exhausted and physically beat up going into the year. I was more motivated than ever at the end of the year."

All of the Cubs outfielders should be extra motivated in 2018, for various reasons.

Fortunately, new hitting coach Chili Davis is here to help revive Zobrist, Jason Heyward and Kyle Schwarber — all of whom have something to prove — while furthering the development of Albert Almora Jr. and Ian Happ.

The numbers weren't pretty.

Zobrist's OPS last year was .693, a significant drop-off from .831 in 2016. Heyward's OPS improved from .631 to .715, but he hasn't contributed offensively the way the Cubs envisioned two winters ago when after they signed him to an eight-year, $184 million deal.

Schwarber's OPS in his rookie season of 2015 was .842, and after he missed almost the entire regular season with a torn ACL in his left knee in 2016, he finished with a .782 OPS last season — though he still hit 30 home runs in a down year.

The slimmer, trimmer Schwarber was the talk of the Cubs Convention last weekend, but he knows losing weight doesn't always translate to a better performance.

"It's not going to help me hit .500," he said. "You just have to control things you can control, and this is one thing I can control. People are making it out to be a big deal, but it's part of the job for me."

While Schwarber works on his body-fat percentage, Heyward has been working weekly in Arizona with Davis, trying to return to his norm. Former hitting coach John Mallee began the process last winter, but it's still in its infancy.

"I need to learn Jason," Davis said. "More so, he has to learn me. ... It's going to be up to him. The only thing we stress a lot is working with a purpose and working with focus."

So far, so good. Heyward said Davis, a switch-hitter who played 19 seasons in the major leagues, reminds him of Chipper Jones, one of his mentors when he came up with the Braves.

"It's the way he talks hitting, the philosophy, the mindset, hitting with a purpose, a team approach," Heyward said. "It just really reminds me of how I was taught the game growing up and some of the veterans I had on my team in Atlanta."

How manager Joe Maddon will shuffle his outfield remains to be seen. With Jon Jay gone, the best guess entering spring training is Almora and Happ will share center field while Zobrist will share left with Schwarber and right with Heyward while also seeing some time at second base.

The big question is whether Javier Baez's stellar defense at second will keep Zobrist at a corner-outfield spot most of the time.

Zobrist is no slouch at second — he was among the three finalists for the NL Gold Glove award, losing to the Rockies' DJ LeMahieu. But many were surprised Zobrist finished ahead of Baez in voting — Zobrist included.

"I don't look at the statistics, but I was surprised because I know how good of a glove Javy has," he said. "It all played out the way it was supposed to. I think LeMahieu should have won it. But we have a lot of good defenders (who) should be in that conversation."

With Addison Russell's injury, Baez spent almost as much time at shortstop (73 starts) as second (80). He was so impressive at short, his natural position, that some wondered whether he and Russell would switch positions when Russell returned. President Theo Epstein quickly shot down that idea, and Baez moved back to second once Russell was healthy.

Baez endured a poor postseason in 2017, going 0 for 14 in the NL Division Series and 2 for 12 in the NLCS, but that small sample size won't keep him from seeing the bulk of the starts at second, which means Zobrist will wind up in the corners.

"I don't know what to expect," Zobrist said. "Let's be honest: I just expect to grow and get better as a teammate, as a player, as a leader. ... I think there's going to be a need for me to take a little bit more of a vocal role than I have in the past and do a better job of encouraging (teammates) and keep the main thing the main thing."

Asked if Zobrist is headed for more time in the outfield, general manager Jed Hoyer said "it would seem that way going into spring, but you never know what happens" with injuries and performances.

"The beauty of guys like him and Ian and Javy and even Kris (Bryant) to a certain extent (is) they can move around," Hoyer said. "It covers us in a lot of ways. It is a good feeling to go into a season knowing if things come up we can cover. You don't want things to happen, but they will. Our versatility helps that, and Ben is No. 1 on that list."

Happ had a strong rookie season with 24 home runs in only 364 at-bats, an average of one for every 15 at-bats. But he was still the odd man out in the postseason, getting only eight plate appearances. Happ doesn't know how much time he will spend at second, at which he's limited defensively, but isn't concerned about where he winds up. Almora was solid against left-handers but struggled against most righties.

"It's going to be exciting to see how everyone is used," Happ said. "I'll continue to try to be as versatile as possible. ... In Joe's scheme, it's nice to bounce all over the place."

If all five play up to their potential, the Cubs could have one of the better-hitting and deeper outfields in baseball. No matter how it plays out, they all seem prepared for whatever management has in mind.

"My motivation is higher than ever, and I know a lot of other guys' motivation is high, having talked to some of them," Zobrist said. "I look forward to this being a phenomenal year."