Chicago Cubs: Montgomery quietly put together an impressive season

A mid-July trade with the Seattle Mariners netted the Chicago Cubs a lefty reliever who closed out Game 7 of the World Series. Is this the cost-controlled pitcher the Cubs have been looking for?

It was only a matter of time before the Chicago Cubs traded Triple-A first baseman Dan Vogelbach. And on July 20th, they did just that. The Cubs traded Dan Vogelbach and pitcher Paul Blackburn to the Mariners in exchange for LHP Mike Montgomery and RHP Jordan Pries.

Chicago needed a lefty handed reliever and Montgomery fit that bill perfectly. Montgomery was only in his second year in the big leagues and pitched primarily out of the bullpen with the Mariners. He did the same for the Cubs and even had some success out of the rotation down the stretch as well.

Upon coming over to the Cubs, Montgomery pitched out of the bullpen and struggled a bit out of the gate. However, Mike settled in and finished 1-1 with a 2.82 ERA in 17 games for the Cubs.

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Despite a small sample size (14 innings pitched), Montgomery was 1-1 with a sparkling 1.93 ERA out of the bullpen. He averaged one strikeout per inning but his walks (eight) was a little bit high.

Playoffs

Upon moving to the rotation, Montgomery made five starts. He did not record a decision and compiled a 3.33 ERA. His walk and strikeout ratio remained the pretty much the same.

He came up huge in the playoffs for the Cubs as well. He quickly became of the few guys that Maddon was able to trust in the bullpen. Montgomery did an excellent job in Game 3 of the NLDS. Although he was the losing pitcher, he pitched four solid innings out of the bullpen in an extra inning loss.

He saved the rotation and bullpen for Game 4 and a potential Game 5 (with thankfully was not necessary). I feel that his performance in Game 3 goes forgotten when we think about the playoffs.

Montgomery pitched 14 innings in the playoffs, the same he had during the regular season out of the bullpen. His ERA was higher (3.14), but that was due to a bad outing the NLCS.

History

Of course, Montgomery also got the biggest out of the season, which was the final out in Game 7 of the World Series. Sure, he only needed to retire one batter, but that’s not always as easy as it looks. Just ask Aroldis Chapman.

In addition, to make that moment even more special, the save that Montgomery recorded in Game 7 was his 1st career save. Pretty special for a guy like him, whose career is just beginning.

Overall, Montgomery put together a solid half season for the Cubs. He was a solid pick up for a blocked DH-type hitter in the Cubs minor league system. Montgomery does not become a free agent after the 2022 season, which means the Cubs have five more years of control on him.

Next: Heyward looks to turn things around in 2017

Heading into 2017, Montgomery slots as the number five starter. That could change as the Cubs continue to look for rotation help. Yet, having better numbers as a reliever than as a starter in his career, I feel Montgomery turned a corner last year in the rotation.

With Travis Wood unlikely to return, he could be that type of guy for the Cubs over the next five years. A left-handed swingman who can start or relieve. Who knows, he may end up playing left-field one day too.