Chicago Cubs: Will Carl Edwards continue to shine bright for the Cubs?

Carl Edwards’ journey in 2016 took him from pitching with the Chicago Cubs Triple-A team in Iowa to the 10^th inning of Game 7 of the World Series.

That was quite a ride for the Chicago Cubs’ 25-year-old from Prosperity, South Carolina. Carl Edwards Jr. pitched well during this past season when he was called up in June. He was the key set-up man in manager Joe Maddon’s bullpen rotation.

And, he showed his stuff in late game situations. Edwards, known as the “The String Bean Slinger”, because of his tall and thin frame and a nasty fastball clocked at 96 mph, played a big role down the stretch.

As a Chicago Cubs reliever, he moved his fastball down and low in the zone.  He pitched 36 innings and had an ERA of 3.75 with 52 strikeouts and only 14 walks. He gave up four home runs.

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He made his major league debut in September of 2015 against the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch Stadium and gave up a home run. Edwards started this season in Iowa and was called up to the Chicago Cubs on June 22, 2016.

He pitched well, helped his team get to the World Series, and picked up a nice stipend of $368,000 for the post-season.

Big Stage

In the World Series, Edwards was called on in the thrilling game 7. He came into the bottom of the tenth inning to get three outs.

He got two of them before Brandon Guyer walked, landed up at second base and was driven in by a Rajai Davis single. The Cubs were clinging to an 8-7 lead, and Edwards’s night was done.

“It kind of got away from me,” Edwards said to the press after the game as reported by the NY Times.

Earlier in the season, Edwards was working with Chicago Cubs sports psychologist Ken Ravizza on preparing to close out a big game. Ravizza had Edwards visualizing being in the game in a clutch situation, say, with two outs, and a runner on second base in the World Series.

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That turned out to be the exact situation that Edwards found himself in Game 7. But he walked Guyer and it looked like he lost his concentration. He did, however, retire two batters and Mike Montgomery, came in to get the third out.

Edwards is young and will have more opportunities to show his stuff. And, the Cubs hope he will improve with more game experience.

The tall thin hurler from Prosperity, SC has arrived and the Cubs are looking for good days ahead of Edwards.