Chicago Cubs get promising first start from Adbert Alzolay

Chicago Cubs right-hander Adbert Alzolay failed to make it out of the fifth but worked around control issues and a leadoff homer in his first start.

Sitting in the seats at Wrigley Field Tuesday night, I excitedly watched young Chicago Cubs hurler Adbert Alzolay effortlessly long-tossing in the outfield prior to first pitch. Donning the team’s blue alternate jerseys, the club soon after took the field behind Alzolay, making his first Major League start against the first-place Atlanta Braves.

Reigning National League Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Jr. welcomed Alzolay, abruptly blasting the first pitch of the game deep into the left-field bleachers to give Atlanta an early 1-0 edge. But from there, he settled in and did not allow another hit in 4 2/3 innings of work.

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The main complaint against the right-hander? He walked four – and control issues came to a head in the fifth, chasing him from the game earlier than we’d have liked.

Still, to give up a mammoth leadoff home run on the first pitch of your first big league start (in front of the home faithful, at that) – and then not allow another hit? That’s a strong positive he and the Cubs can hone in on, despite the 3-2 loss.

"“He could be really good in the big leagues,” Willson Contreras told MLB.com. “He still needs to make the adjustments — like all of us. But, with the confidence that he has, the intensity he has and the way he prepares before the game, it’s going to take him a long way.”"

As we all know, Theo Epstein’s regime is yet to produce a homegrown impact arm – Alzolay looks to be the first to buck that trend. His development this year could play an integral role in the team’s 2019-2020 offseason plans as an already veteran rotation gets another year older.

Chicago has Jon Lester under team control through 2021, Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish through 2023 and holds a $10.5 million team option on Jose Quintana next season. Cole Hamels, of course,  is playing on a $20 million team option the Cubs picked up last offseason and will be an unrestricted free agent at year’s end.

If Alzolay turns into the starter we all hope he is and demonstrates that throughout the season’s second half, Hamels could be as good as gone – at least in my mind. And Chicago could, at least in theory, decline Quintana’s 2020 option – instead looking to some combination of Alzolay, Tyler Chatwood and Mike Montgomery to round out the rotation behind Lester, Darvish and Hendricks.

Across his first two outings at the big league level, there’s been a lot to like from 24-year-old Venezuelan native. He carries a 2.08 ERA (2 ER in 8 2/3 innings), a 0.92 WHIP and a .071 opponent batting average. He’s averaging better than a strikeout per inning but is also issuing walks at an unsustainable 6.23 per nine.

Like his batterymate said after Tuesday’s outing – he could be really good. This first start was our first taste of what Adbert Alzolay could mean to the starting rotation and given what he’s done during his ascent to the Windy City, I suspect we’ll see continued improvement moving forward.