Happ named MLB all-star; Cape Cod HOF inductee
The hits keep coming for Ian Happ of Mt. Lebanon on and off the baseball field this season.
Heading into a six-game home stand at Wrigley Field against the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets this week, the Chicago Cubs outfielder was batting .276 with an .818 OPS. That’s a major improvement from where he was at this point in 2021.
Today, Happ is a MLB all-star as well as an inductee for the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame.
On July 10, after an 11-9 loss to Los Angeles, Happ learned he would play in the 92nd Midsummer Classic that pits the American League’s best against the National League’s finest. Happ was named as a reserve on the NL roster for the contest that will be played July 19 at Dodger Stadium.
“Last night I turned off the Cubs’ game and tuned into the selection show,” said Patt McCloskey, Happ’s former high school coach. “When his announcement came on, it was just overwhelming emotional.”
Happ was torn up, too. He even shed tears when Cubs manager David Ross broke the news in the clubhouse in front of the entire team. It will be Happ’s first all-star game in his six years as a pro.
“It’s just years of hard work and everything that goes into it,” Happ said. “You think of all the people that have helped along the way: family, friends. I got super emotional talking to my family. I don’t know if I can contain those [emotions] much.”
A year ago, Happ was in an ugly place. He was benched and batting a sickly .183.
“When you think about all the adversity he’s overcome in his pro career, it just makes you indescribably happy for him,” McCloskey said of the MLB all-star nod.
Among NL outfielders, Happ entered this week’s action ranked third in OBP, fourth in batting average, fifth in weighted on-base average, fifth in WAR, sixth in RBIs and seventh in wRC+(129).
Happ made the team through MLB player voting. He finished sixth among NL outfielders on player ballots behind Mookie Betts, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Joc Pederson — the three starters chosen by fans — and fellow reserves Kyle Schwarber and Starling Marte.
“To be able to call yourself a big-league all-star is really, really cool and I’m humbled by it,” Happ said.
McCloskey said the moment reminded him of the humility Happ demonstrated on the day he was drafted back.
“The only thing that I can relate his all-star nomination to was watching his name get called as the ninth pick of the draft on live TV,” he said.
Happ was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2015 MLB amateur draft. He made his pro debut on May 13, 2017 and promptly became the fastest player in Cub history to reach 20 homers. He did so in 89 games.
Happ has batted .241 (375-for-1,554) with 74 doubles, eight triples, 87 homers and 236 RBI in 520 games with the Cubs. His 87 career home runs are the most by a switch-hitter in franchise history.
Happ arrived in Chicago via the University of Cincinnati where he was a first-team All-American and a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist not to mention the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
A Mt. Lebanon, graduate he batted .449 in four seasons with 33 doubles, 12 homers and 65 RBI for the Blue Devils. He was an Almanac MVP for baseball.
In between his scholastic and collegiate stints, Happ excelled in the Cape Cod League, earning all-star acclaim in 2013 and 2014.
Happ was a versatile standout for the Harwich Mariners during those two summers. He played seven positions, including all three outfield spots and pitcher.
In 2013, he joined the team initially as a temporary player but ended up leading the Mariners in nearly every category. He hit .293 with seven doubles, five home runs, 22 runs scored, 22 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a .469 slugging percentage.
In 2014, Happ finished ninth in the league, batting .329 with 12 doubles, four home runs, 26 RBI, 25 runs, and eight stolen bases. His strong 2014 campaign led Harwich to a regular-season East Division title, with the Mariners finishing 26-16-2.
Happ was an East Division all-star both years. He was named to the all-league team in 2014.
Happ will enter the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Hall of Fame with his current teammate Marus Stroman as well as former major leaguers Billy Wagner and Justin Smoak, standout Patrick Biondi, and longtime league executive Steven Wilson. The induction ceremony will take place on Nov. 20 at the Wequassett Inn in Harwich, MA.
NOTE: The Home Run Derby will be July 18 at 8 p.m. on ESPN, while the All-Star Game will air on Fox starting at 7:30 p.m. EDT on July 19.