Chicago Cubs Rumors: Former Cubs hurler Jeff Samardzija clears waivers

Leadoff hitters attacking Shark

It’s hard to come up with a major glaring issue in Samardzija’s game. That’s not to say we can’t find plenty of things that need attention, but let’s start with what we know.

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Leadoff hitters have absolutely massacred the right-hander to the tune of a .357/.375/.667 line (1.042 OPS). Cleanup hitters have been a major concern, as well, putting up a 1.007 OPS. At the end of the day, though, his team lives and dies by his performance.

In his losses, he owns a 7.00 ERA and opponents have a .916 OPS. In his victorious performances, however, he limited hitters to a .245 average and .647 OPS. As has always been the case, Samardzija boasts an impressive repertoire.

But, as we’ve seen in the past, he needs to get ahead of hitters – but do so intelligently. You can’t get float pitches in to get ahead of batters.

With an OPS north of .900 on the first pitch (and even higher when he falls behind), this is the most glaring weakness in his game this year.

The easiest way to dig yourself out of a hole? Quit digging.