A look at the 2015 Chicago Cubs starting rotation options

Jul 20, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher

(31) throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

In 2014, the Chicago Cubs entered the regular season with the likes of Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel, Edwin Jackson, Travis Wood and Carlos Villanueva as the starting rotation. Jake Arrieta was sidelined on the 15-day disabled list and Kyle Hendricks had not yet made his big league debut – an event that would come later in the season.

This year, with a new head on the snake in the form of coveted southpaw Jon Lester, Chicago has a mix of both new and old names projected as members of the starting rotation. Behind Lester, Arrieta, who broke out in a big way in 2014, is penciled in, followed by Hammel, who returned to Chicago after being traded to Oakland mid-season, sophomore right-hander Kyle Hendricks and veteran southpaw Travis Wood.

There are several other names in the mix should injuries become a concern or production is not where it needs to be for any of those five names, including Jackson, Jacob Turner, Tsuyoshi Wada, Dallas Beeler and Dan Straily. We’ll take a look at the Cubs starting rotation options, their output last season and their projected numbers in 2015 in the slides that follow.

Sep 19, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jon Lester (31) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

1) Jon Lester

• 2014 statistics: 16-11, 2.46 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 32 GS, 219.2 IP
• 2015 projected: 13-9, 3.28 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 30 GS, 192 IP

The biggest splash of the offseason for the Chicago Cubs came in the form of a veteran southpaw whose familiarity with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein is well-documented at this point. Former Boston Red Sox ace Jon Lester joined the Cubs on a six-year, $155 million in December, giving the team its first significant free agent signing since Alfonso Soriano.

With the deal, the team immediately went from rebuilding to contending in the minds of fans – and even many critics. World Series odds for the Lovable Losers skyrocketed in Las Vegas, optimism was at an all-time high and it was all because of Lester. Last season, the left-hander opened the year with Boston, but after the team fell flat on its face early-on, Ben Cherington dealt the fan favorite to the Oakland Athletics in the deal that brought outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox.

Lester, meanwhile, kept doing what he does – competing. In fact, he actually got better down the stretch, making 11 starts with a 2.35 ERA and 1.070 WHIP. Of course, many Athletics fans recall Lester mainly for his outing in the American League Wild Card game against the eventual pennant-winning Kansas City Royals, but his contributions down the stretch were ace-like, to say the least.

For Chicago, as much of a physical impact as the soon-to-be 31-year-old will make at the top of the rotation, his leadership and winning attitude are perhaps his most valuable contributions in 2015 and beyond.

Jul 6, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta (49) pitches during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

2) Jake Arrieta

• 2014 statistics: 10-5, 2.53 ERA, 0.989 WHIP, 25 GS, 156.2 IP
• 2015 projected: 10-9, 3.60 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 27 GS, 153 IP

After beginning the year on the disabled list, right-hander Jake Arrieta stormed out of the gates to quickly emerge as the ace of the Cubs starting rotation in 2014. Finishing the year ninth in the National League Cy Young balloting, the former Baltimore Orioles prospect solved his once-rampant control issues last season, issuing just 2.4 walks per nine to go along with an equally as impressive 2.26 FIP in his 25 starts.

He took no-hitters into the seventh inning or later on three separate occasions, and after Jeff Samardzija was dealt to Oakland on the Fourth of July, the reins were handed to Arrieta, who is now heading into his age 29 season. Projections indicate that he will be solid, although nowhere near as dominant as he was in 2014 – leaving plenty of room for improvement.

Things to take into account will be the fact that teams will have more advanced scouting on Arrieta in 2015, given last season was just his first in the National League Central, he is a year removed from a season in which he experienced very little challenge and that he is once again out of the spotlight, settled in behind Jon Lester in the Cubs starting rotation.

How Arrieta responds to rough stretches in 2015 could very well determine what type of season the right-hander puts together for himself. If he can stay focused and hone in as he did last year, don’t be surprised to see the righty exceed projections and form a formidable number two behind Lester in Chicago.

Jul 4, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jason Hammel (39) throws during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

3) Jason Hammel

• 2014 statistics: 10-11, 3.47 ERA, 1.123 WHIP, 30 GS, 176.1 IP
• 2015 projected: 10-9, 3.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 26 GS, 153 IP

It was a tale of two halves for right-hander Jason Hammel in 2014. He began the year with the Chicago Cubs after inking a one-year pact in the offseason and quickly emerged as a solid option for first-year skipper Rick Renteria. In 17 starts with the Cubs, Hammel, who had spent time with the Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles prior to 2014, posted a 2.98 earned run average and 8.6 strikeouts per nine, before being flipped near the season’s midpoint.

After being paired with teammate Jeff Samardzija in the deal that netted Oakland’s top prospect, Addison Russell, Hammel fell off. Down the stretch for the Athletics, the right-hander  went 2-6 – largely due to his control struggles. He averaged nearly one more walk per nine with Oakland as opposed to the first half of the year in Chicago, pitching to a 5.10 FIP in 12 starts and one relief appearance.

After rejoining the team this offseason on a two-year deal, Hammel is reunited with pitching coach Chris Bosio, with whom Hammel thrived last year. As was noted last season between the Cubs and A’s, control will be key for the 32-year-old Hammel, who is projected to have near-identical numbers to Jake Arrieta, who was the Cubs starting rotation ace in 2014.

A combination of Hammel and Arrieta behind Jon Lester that produces at a respectable clip (an ERA somewhere in the mid-3.00’s) will give the Cubs a rotation that ranks in the upper half of the National League, despite lacking the dominance of some of the best rotations in the league.

Jul 10, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks throws against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

 4) Kyle Hendricks

• 2014 statistics: 7-2, 2.46 ERA, 1.083 WHIP, 13 GS, 80.1 IP
• 2015 projected: 8-8, 4.14 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 24 GS, 134 IP

One of the biggest storylines last season for the Cubs was the arrival of several of the prospects fans had heard about for so long. More often than not, the attention centered around the likes of Jorge Soler, Arismendy Alcantara and slugging infielder Javier Baez. However, in a system that has far more position depth than pitching, one rookie right-hander turned heads around the league, eventually finishing seventh in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting – Kyle Hendricks.

Hendricks was absolutely dominant in his rookie campaign, going 7-2 with a 2.46 ERA and 1.083 WHIP across his 13 starts, including a near-perfect month of August that accounted for the lion’s share of his success. In six starts, Hendricks went 4-0, allowing just seven earned runs across 37 1/3 innings of work before coming back down to earth in the season’s final month.

That month of work earned him the National League Rookie of the Month honors for August and only furthered optimism of fans – despite losing fan favorite Jeff Samardzija earlier in the summer. Although he leveled out near the end of the year, Hendricks was no-doubt one of the top stories last season.

That leveling out, however, may play a role in the projections moving forward that indicate the right-hander is due for a much more realistic season with an earned run average in the low-4.00 range and a .500 record in another 11 starts as compared to a year ago. Avoiding the sophomore slump and continuing to locate his pitches in a Greg Maddux-like manner will either make or break Hendricks moving forward.