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Dillon Maples looking to break into the roster
Maples is a nice story. He had floated around down in Single-A ball for five years, but, something clicked in 2017. The right-hander worked from Class A-Advanced Myrtle Beach all the way to the Major Leagues.
His time in the majors was a mixed bag, as is the case with many players. Maples was fairly solid, though, minus one rocky outing in which he allowed five earned runs in just 1/3 of an inning. (For reference, he allowed just one earned run in his other five appearances combined.
The reason people are so high on Maples is because of his slider, mostly. However, like most of the Cubs’ pitchers from last year, he has a bit of an issue with walking guys. New pitching coach Jim Hickey will look to cut down on the walks, and harness some of these pitchers’ control. Maples should compete for a bullpen spot in Spring Training.