Chicago Cubs: 5 players that need a bounce back year in 2018

The Chicago Cubs had another successful season but fell short of the expectations of another World Series title. Several players failed to replicate their 2016 season, and they need some of them more than others to do it again.

In 2016, it seemed as if each Chicago Cubs‘ player was having a career year. And while we can nitpick at every little thing the players failed to do last year, there are a few Cubs that need to have a better year in 2018. When you look at where the Cubs struggled, it was in the bullpen and inconsistent hitting. And there were more than a handful of guys that failed to get the job done.

Of course, we’d love to see each Cubs’ player have an improvement over last year. But these are the guys that must step things up for the team to have a successful campaign. These are the guys that without, the offense fails to go and the bullpen scuffles.

So let’s get into who needs to come up with a big year for the Cubs. Some of these guys could be on their last hurrah if they don’t come out hot to start next season.

Justin Grimm, RHP

The future for Justin Grimm might be up in the air. He’s a non-tender candidate, and the Cubs could choose not to offer him a raise and let him walk. It was just a few years ago that Grimm was a crucial part of the Cubs pen that was shutting opponents down. Now just a few years later, he’s not the only one on this list that needs to have a big campaign to redeem himself.

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In 2015, Grimm posted a 1.99 ERA and struck out 67 in 49 1/3 innings. Since then, his innings pitched has gone up, his strikeouts down–and he’s allowing the ball to leave the yard at a much more frequent rate. In his first three seasons with the Cubs, Grimm allowed just 13 home runs. Last year he gave up 12 and allowed more walks than the year before.

Walks hurt. But Grimm had managed to keep those runners from scoring. When you can’t keep the ball in the park, things go wrong in a hurry. Grimm’s future might be decided by what the Cubs do as they look to rebuild the bullpen. He’s on the outside looking in, but Grimm has the stuff to get hitters out. He’s shown that. Will he get a chance in 2018?

Hector Rondon, RHP

Hector Rondon is the other reliever from the bullpen that has had, well, a fall from grace is the only way to put it. In 2014 Rondon saved 29 games. Then, in

2015 he saved 30 while posting a 1.67 ERA. In 2016, he had 18 saves, but the Cubs felt that the one place they could improve was the backend of the bullpen. So they went and traded for the fireballer, Aroldis Chapman. Rondon took the addition in stride, saying he’d do whatever the team needed.

Rondon hasn’t been able to get back to the form he had pre-Chapman. And in a similar story to Grimm, it’s been walks and home runs. Rondon’s WHIP rose to 1.221, up from 0.98 the year before. His K/9 is still a solid 10.8, but walking 3.1 hitters/9IP has been a big part of his downfall.

For a Rule 5 pick, the Cubs have gotten their value out of Rondon. If they could get him right again, he could be a solid seventh or eighth inning guy. But Joe Maddon‘s faith in him isn’t there–or anywhere outside of Wade Davis, for that matter. For each of these guys, it’s about throwing strikes consistently.

Kyle Schwarber, OF

The expectations that have been piled on the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber are part of the issue. After an impressive start to his career, the knee injury cut his 2016 season short. And all he managed to do was come back for the World Series and play four of the most impressive games you could have asked for. So coming into 2017 the anticipation for a Schwarber breakout season was high. That, however, was not the case.

Maddon was intent on making Schwarber the leadoff hitter this season. That slowly dissolved into things like “trade Schwarber” and “fire Maddon”. Neither of those using much logic, but it was still frustrating to watch. Eventually, Schwarber was sent to Triple-A to try and figure things out. While the overall numbers weren’t great he, by all means, showed improvement over the first half of the season.

Schwarber batter .255 after coming back from Iowa, slugging 18 home runs and driving in 31. With a slugging % of .565 and an OPS of .908, he was looking more like the Schwarber of old. The question remains his ability to play the outfield. There’s no question he got a better than average arm. But he also can look like a beer league softball player while he’s in left field. If he can start next season like he finished this one, the Cubs will be happy with that.

Ben Zobrist, 2B/OF

For the Cubs’ Ben Zobrist, he an old man in a young man’s team. A huge part of the World Series victory, age might be starting to slow him down. It doesn’t mean he can’t be effective, but his role could be diminished as the Cubs look to get Javier Baez and Ian Happ more at-bats–assuming they are both still there when the season starts.

For Zobrist, it was a tough season. He saw his average plummet 40 points, while injuries slowed him a bit. Zobrist still managed to be a Gold Glove finalist at second base, but that was merely a formality. With two years left on his deal, questions are being posed as where the Cubs should go from here. The fans seem to think it might be time to move on. To trade him. But that is a ridiculous notion.

Next: Cubs set rest of staff for 2018

While Zobrist’s role might change, he’s a solid player that the Cubs will need next season. Even if the Cubs keep all of their young players, many of them are prone to going cold throughout the season. Having a switch-hitting veteran to plug in around the field is one of Maddon’s favorites. It’s just a matter of where for Zobrist–and how much longer.