Chicago Cubs: Looking back at Jeff Samardzija's career

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After a down year on the South Side, Jeff Samardzija could look to revitalize his career by returning to the team that drafted him, the Chicago Cubs.

For whatever reason, a great many Cubs fans have a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to the former Notre Dame football standout, Jeff Samardzija. For the life of me, I just don’t understand it.

We’re talking about a guy who is still just 30 years of age and has fewer than 1,000 big-league innings’ worth of stress on his right arm. He’s always had the potential to be a front-end starter with a repertoire to match, but things have just never panned out that way.

With the Chicago Cubs looking to bolster their starting rotation behind Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta and gritty southpaw Jon Lester, targeting someone like Samardzija, whom the Cubs initially drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 draft, a reunion makes a whole lot of sense.

Next: His early days as a Cubs hurler

Jun 12, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Breaking on to the scene – to mixed results

After a couple of years in the Chicago farm system, Samardzija broke onto the big league scene with the Cubs in 2008 to outstanding results. Working as a reliever, the hard-throwing right-hander pitched to a 2.28 earned run average in 27 2/3 innings of work, giving many cause for hope moving forward.

However, the 2009 and 2010 seasons offered something much different. Over 54 innings spanning the two campaigns, Samardzija struggled to a 0.86 SO/BB ratio to go along with an ERA pushing 8.00. He allowed over 11 hits per nine and posted a WHIP nearing the 2.000 mark.

Heading into his age 26 season, the righty, who was still being used solely as a reliever, seemed to figure some things out as his FIP fell from 8.25 to 3.66 from 2010 to 2011, while his strikeout-to-walk margin improved to 1.74 – still leaving plenty to be desired, but a noted improvement over the year prior.

Taking this improvement in-stride, the Chicago Cubs opted to convert Samardzija to a starter, a role he still holds to this day.

Next: Adapting to a starting role

Jun 1, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) pauses before making a pitch in the third inning during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Emerging as a force-to-be-reckoned with

A win-loss record hasn’t been the best way to measure a pitcher’s success in quite some time – but that sentiment has rang particularly true with Chicago Cubs’ hurlers during the rebuild.

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With a lackluster offense behind them, Chicago starting pitchers have pitched better than their records indicated, such was the case with Samardzija’s first year as a starter … and his second and third, as well.

Pitching to a 3.55 FIP across 28 starts, the right-hander’s first go at being a full-time starter was widely considered a success. He averaged a career-high 9.3 strikeouts-per-nine, matching that mark with an equally impressive 3.21 SO/BB ratio. That may not seem like much, but given his early numbers, it was a big step in the right direction.

The next year, his earned run average rose (although his FIP rose by just 0.20) – and he was once again a sub-.500 starter on a struggling club. That being said, 2013 marked the first time in his Major League career that he surpassed 200 innings pitched and 200 strikeouts, something that’s since become commonplace for the right-hander.

Next: An All-Star on the move

Aug 25, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) pitches during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Rising trade value and a subsequent move

Last year, Jeff Samardzija went out there with a chip on his shoulder, ready to silence his critics. And to say he did just that would be an understatement.

Despite pitching to a 1.98 earned run average in the first month of the season, the Cubs hurler was winless yet-again. So, in an effort to right that wrong, Samardzija went out and lowered his ERA in the month of May down to a minuscule 1.32 clip.

Walking the plank in his walk year

Suffice to say, the body of work turned in by Jeff Samardzija during the 2015 season isn’t indicative of what he’s truly capable of.

Let’s start with a bright spot: the right-hander tied for the American League lead in shutouts with two. He won 11 games, although he still hasn’t managed to post a single season in which he’s finished above .500 as a pitcher.

2015 was about as bad a season as we’ve seen from Samardzija to-date, as he failed in almost every regard – yet still he gutted out 214 innings pitched.

Now for the bad.

He saw his earned run average surpass 4.75 in four of the six months, with May and July being the lone exceptions to the rule. With men on-base, opponents posted a staggering .835 OPS against Samardzija, due, in-part, to major struggles in the first inning of games (.353/.410/.588 opponents’ batting line).

He ranked at or near the top of the American League in hits (228), runs (118) and home runs (29) allowed, as his strikeout numbers plummeted down to just 6.9 per nine – his worst single-season total since 2010 with the Cubs.

With free agency looming after the season, Samardzija no-doubt hurt his stock heading into the open market, which may actually increase his chances of returning to the Chicago Cubs, giving the front office greater financial flexibility to fill other holes.

Next: A lot to like, 2015 aberration aside

Jul 28, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; A multiple-exposure sequence of Chicago White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija (29) during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

He’s not an ace, but he’s what the Cubs need

Most of you who think a reunion tour between the Chicago Cubs and Jeff Samardzija will criticize me for wanting a player who’s coming off a year in which he posted a near-5.00 ERA, failed to strikeout batters and served up home runs like hot cakes.

But if you’ll indulge me for a moment, we saw Joe Maddon get particularly creative in the late stretch of the regular season, and even in the postseason, working relievers in and out of games like a basketball coach uses bench players – early and often.

Jason Hammel was pulled early repeatedly and, while he finished the year on a high-note, you were never really sure what you were going to see from Kyle Hendricks. Pitching coach Chris Bosio has shown what he can do with struggling hurlers and there’s no reason to believe Samardzija would be any different.

This guy is a competitor. Now that Chicago is in the thick of the postseason picture for years to come, expect him to kick things up a notch. He’ll give you 200 innings, filling a void in the middle of the rotation and giving the pen some much-needed down time.

It just makes sense.

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