May 24, 2022
The
Chicago Cubs (17-24) are playing as expected. There are a lot of holes that
need to be filled. It may take some time, but President Jed Hoyer has done a
good job stocking the minors. In the coming months, you may be seeing the
future Cubs. Inconsistency has been a major problem.
Hoyer’s
biggest free agent signing was Japanese superstar Seiya Suzuki. He lit the
world on fire at the start of season and was April’s rookie of the month. He
has since fallen on hard times. Pitchers make adjustments and word spread on
how to get him out. He is also seeing pitches he’s never encountered. A good
example is the ease in which White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito got him out with
his deadly change-up. Good hitters adjust and figure out how pitchers are trying
to get them out. Being a rookie, it sometimes takes till the end of this or the
next season to become acclimated to major league pitching. One thing he has
that many rookies don’t, is a great knowledge of the strike zone. I hate
to be a downer but I can only think of two players, Ichiro Suzuki and currently
Shohei Ohtani who have had success after playing in Japan.
What was
unexpected was the Cubs relievers having more success than the starters. Kyle
Hendricks is no longer an elite starter. Although he can be good at times, he
has had as many awful starts. He has struggled and put the Cubs behind the
eight ball. Hoyer should deal him before you can’t get a big return. Hoyer’s
other free agent was pitcher Marcus Stroman who is battling illnesses and his
starts have been inconsistent. Drew Smyly had a couple of good starts before
coming off the rails, while the jury is still out on Wade Miley. The future
lies with Justin Steele. He keeps getting better in his first year as starter
and should be the ace of the staff next year. The Cubs do have some
reinforcements in Iowa. It shouldn’t be long before the Cubs call up 25 year
old Caleb Kilian, who is 2-1 with a 1.31 era. Next year Keegan Thompson
needs to be stretched to join the rotation.
The Cubs
bullpen has been outstanding. They have excellent set-up men for rejuvenated
closer David Robertson, who has 6 saves and 1.78 era. Set-up men Keegan
Thompson, Rowan Wick and Scott Effross have a combined 1.58 era. Chris Martin,
Jesse Chavez are two more reliable set-up men.
The Cubs
scored 21 runs against the Pirates, otherwise the offense has been as pathetic
as the White Sox. The best hitter on the team is catcher Willson Contreras.
Right now he is a little banged up and Yan Gomes is catching. Gomes is not part
of the future so I’m wondering why recently called up Brandon Hughes is not
catching. The Yankees are looking for catching and could land Contreras at the
trade deadline. It may not end up being the Yankees, but he’s almost certain to
be gone. The Cubs have much of the season without their double play
combination most of the year. Shortstop Nico Hoerner and second baseman Nick
Madrigal were expected to be table setters but have been out most of the season
and David Bote’s career is in jeopardy. I didn’t expect first baseman Frank
Schwindel to be the hitter he was last year but not as bad as .226. Only an
injury kept him from being sent down. Third baseman Patrick Wisdom has nine
homers in only 126 at-bats. He also has struck out a whopping 56 times.
Ian Happ in leftfield is having a typical Ian Happ season. His numbers are
never overwhelming but he is one of the Cubs most consistent hitters.
One of
the Cubs main objectives should be to get younger. Therefore, it was good to
bring up Christopher Morel. Morel will turn 23 in June and is filling a hole at
second base. When Nick Madrigal comes back, Manager David Ross has to realize
that Morel is a better option in centerfield than Jason Heyward. It will be
interesting to see if the players Hoyer got in last year’s blockbuster trades
pan out.
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