Chicago Cubs: Team should give Floro a chance at starting

Dylan Floro has appeared in just one game for the Chicago Cubs. Regardless, it would not hurt for the team to give him a chance in the starting rotation.

It might sound ridiculous, but giving Dylan Floro a chance to start would make sense for the Chicago Cubs. Floro, 26, made his Cubs debut Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. He gave up just one run on six hits in 4.1 innings, striking out five.

In January, the Cubs claimed Floro off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays, quite the minor pickup. Before joining the Cubs, Floro appeared in just 12 games (15 IP) with the Rays, going 0-1 with a 4.20 ERA (all last season).

Though he has mostly pitched as a reliever with Triple-A Iowa, Floro has started plenty during his career. Of his 134 minor league appearances, 74 of those have been starts. While it is true he did not start a minor league game in 2016; the ability is there.

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The Cubs starting rotation has experienced mixed results this season thus far. After leading the MLB with a 2.96 ERA last season, the team’s rotation is 24th this season with a 4.64 ERA. Every starter has struggled here and there, but none more than Brett Anderson.

Anderson’s struggles warrant possible change

Anderson’s recent efforts have been extensively covered already because his last two starts were quite noteworthy. Before heading to the 10-day DL Sunday, Anderson lasted just 1.2 total innings in two starts. In those two starts, he gave up 12 runs on 13 hits.

In six starts this season, Anderson has pitched six innings in a start just once (April 24th against the Pittsburgh Pirates). He has shown flashes of being a capable starter, but the Cubs need more from him than that.

With Floro already with the team, why not give him a chance to start a game? While all hope is clearly not lost for the Cubs rotation, the season is still young. If Floro starts a game and experiences success, the Cubs could have a young pitcher capable of joining the starting rotation for this season and beyond.

Be that as it may, Floro could flop if given a chance as a starter. During his last full season starting in 2015, he went 9-12 with a 5.02 in 25 games (22 starts) with Triple-A Durham. As far as Floro has shown, he performs better out of the bullpen than as a starter.

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Nonetheless, there is no telling what Floro is capable of until he gets a chance. The Cubs can only hope that their current rotation figures things out and pitches like it is capable of. Until then, there is no harm in trying something new for at least one game.