Let's get one thing out of the way first. Jorge Soler is going to get the bulk of the playing time, but I think there is plenty of room for Tommy La Stella in this rotation. I've said this as recently as the day of the Schwarber injury.

And while we may see Soler get the lion's share of ABs with Schwarber gone, I do expect La Stella to fill in again at 3B for tough RHP matchups such as (Rubby) De La Rosa.

The first reaction to Schwarber's injury is that the Cubs could simply plug in Soler and he can replace much of that production. In terms of power...yes. It is possible Soler can fill that void, especially if he can better translate that raw power into games, which he has yet to do consistently at the MLB level.

But Schwarber left a bigger void than just power. His grind-it-out approach at the plate won't easily be replaced Soler. And he was harder to pitch to for RH power pitchers, particularly those with solid command and a good secondary pitch to make a less polished hitter like Soler chase. There's even a bit of a defensive downgrade. Schwarber wasn't Alex Gordon out there, but he was more dependable than Soler.

What I am getting at here is that Soler is only a partial replacement for Schwarber at this point of his career and if the Cubs want to more closely approximate the production they will miss, they need to fill some of those gaps by utilizing other players such as La Stella. La Stella can grind out those ABs, moving him to 3B (where he has been surprisingly good over the past two years) and Kris Bryant to LF improves the defense. He can also help neutralize the same kind of RH power pitchers that give Soler trouble.

There is no question that Soler is the better player overall -- but that doesn't mean he is better in every situation. This is probably hard to hear but it doesn't make it any less true. In the smaller scope, think about who you would want up in a tie game with a RHP on the mound, men in scoring position and less than two outs? La Stella or Soler? I think if we are honest, the answer should be obvious. And it isn't enough to say that is why you save La Stella on the bench. Who does he pinch-hit for when and if that situation arises? Maybe just the pitcher or David Ross. At that point it's even awkward to pinch-hit for Soler, even if we believe La Stella gives them the better chance to score in that situation. Moreover, these kinds of scenarios appear throughout the game, not just in late game situations when it's a close game and the pitcher just happens to be coming to bat. Starting him gives 4 chances to bat in that kind of scenario as opposed to one, or more likely, none. Most games are essentially won before the last couple of innings. Given that the Cubs struggled with lineup balance and that very scenario last season, it makes sense to put him in games where his skills are expected to be most needed from start to finish.

Expanding the scope here then to an entire game, we can see where this is true, at least when we are looking strictly at process. There was a lot of disappointment when La Stella got the start over Soler in the wild card game last year but if we look back at it now rationally, it made a lot of sense. The Cubs were playing the kind of power RHP that matches up well against Soler in Gerrit Cole. The outfield at PNC park is a spacious one -- especially in LF and the cooler Octobers in Pittsburgh can mitigate some HR power. Getting a LH hitter in who can make Cole work, put the ball in play, get on base, and indirectly improve the defense is the logical one.

Now La Stella wasn't really a factor in that game one way or the other and we don't know if Soler would have been. It turns out it didn't matter. We also know that Soler caught fire in the next two series and helped carry the Cubs over the Cardinals and was arguably their best player against the Mets, a set of scenarios that was actually very similar to that wild card game in Pittsburgh (power RHPs, cool weather, bigger OF).

If the Soler of those last two playoff series were to show up more consistently, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. That version of Soler worked counts and laid off those hard, low and away breaking pitches and forced pitchers to come after him. As we have seen, when pitchers come after Soler, it doesn't often end well for them.

The problem is that is not yet who Jorge Soler is on a day-to-day basis. He can be and the Cubs certainly want him to be that kind of hitter. but he isn't. Not yet. It was for that same reason that manager Joe Maddon strongly considered starting La Stella as the DH against power RHP Garret Richards on Opening Day. I believe if it was strictly a tactical baseball decision, it would have indeed been La Stella in the lineup, but Maddon is a players' manager too. He understands the importance of developing Soler and getting him started off on the right foot. So Soler started the game, but wasn't really a factor in the Cubs win. Again, it turns out it didn't matter.

Given another opportunity against the Diamondbacks and a power RHP in De La Rosa who is really tough on RH hitters (.262 wOBA against in 2015), Maddon opted for La Stella at 3B and Bryant in LF. Again, it caused some confusion and frustration for those who want to see Soler play as much as possible, but it made perfect sense. The Cubs offense clicked just fine, outscoring the Diamondbacks 12-2 from that point forward, including 5 more off De La Rosa.

It's not just about raw talent -- not on a team with these kinds of expectations. The Cubs are focused on winning now and the best way to do that is to play the best players who are the best fits as often as they can -- but that question isn't as simple with Soler as it was with Schwarber, or currently is with current starters like Rizzo, Russell, Fowler, Zobrist, Montero, and Bryant. The Soler of today is a one-dimensional offensive player who is a big negative on the defensive side of the ledger. There are certain situations, matchups, stadiums, and environments where he is not the best player available to start. In other words, it's not just about resting Soler or getting La Stella some ABs to keep him fresh, there are actually scenarios where he provides more value with his ability to get on base, put the ball on play, help shore up the defense, and provide a better match up with the starting pitcher. There may be days when the conditions are best suited to grinding out runs and focusing a bit more on run prevention. If the Cubs are serious about winning now -- and they are -- they owe it to themselves to play La Stella in those particular scenarios. The team can no longer afford to give players ABs strictly for development purposes. Those days are over. We better get used to it.

That is not to say that Soler isn't the better player in many, if not most, of the scenarios. It's also not fair to say that this is a lost development opportunity either. Maddon is considered among the best at developing young talent and a big part of why that is true is that he puts them in the best position to succeed, increasing their confidence, and then building on top of that. As I mentioned at the top of the piece, it will be Soler who should get the lion's share of ABs.

But if he is to get even more and become a starter on an everyday basis, he has to hit more like the hitter we saw in the postseason or, more recently, the player who shortened up and hit a sacrifice fly to RF to drive in a key run with a man on third and less than two outs. We know he can crush mistakes, but that sac fly was a good, intelligent piece of hitting. We know Soler is capable of doing both. And he has to do both if he is going to take this opportunity and run with it, as I talked about on our staff predictions.

5. Surprise/Breakthrough Player Given that I am picking him to have the best season, it would probably have to be Russell again, but I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket, so I could go with Javier Baez, but my instinct tells me his breakthrough year may still be a year or two away. Not much to pick from on a team that has already had a lot of young players with big seasons. Maybe I go with Tommy La Stella, who could put up good numbers if injury somewhere opens up some playing time, but I'm going to go with Jorge Soler and say he'll get an opportunity and make the most of it.

Due to unfortunate circumstances, Soler will indeed get that opportunity, but he still has to make the most of it. He has to prove he can contribute more than just the occasional exhilarating HR or ridiculously accurate, powerful throw from the OF. To be the best fit on a regular basis, he has to find out ways to contribute when the power isn't there, much like current regulars Rizzo, Bryant, Russell, Zobrist, Montero, and Fowler do now. We saw a glimpse of that in yesterday's game and if that becomes the norm, it will end the discussion about who should be playing. But until that more complete offensive player arrives, the Cubs will have to give time to players like La Stella who complement Soler's skills and help fill some of the gaps left by the Schwarber injury.