Chicago Cubs: Up, down, and all around for Kyle Hendricks in 2018

Chicago Cubs: Making the finish count

For as up-and-down as Hendricks was across all of 2018, he still finished in the top thirty for starting pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. Hendricks also even posted a very respectable 3.44 ERA and a near 20 percent strikeout rate, falling just shy at 19.8 percent.

The final month of the season was easily Hendricks’ best. He finished with quality starts in six of his eight last games, with a prodigious 1.66 ERA, 2.79 FIP, and an average against of just .216. Hendricks won five of those nine games across that stretch. Giving up only two home runs as well, the former Cy Young finalist harnessed his old self once more, helping the team down the stretch.

What we all must remember through the lens of Kyle Hendricks is that despite the rocky nature of his season, he still produced at a relatively high rate of success. This guy is also still in his prime, meaning a huge bounce-back season could very well be on the horizon. For that, Cubs fans should get excited for Hendricks in 2019.