Chicago Cubs: Five things to watch this spring training

Chicago Cubs: One of the biggest questions going into 2020 is who will end up being the fifth guy in the rotation

When it comes to spring training starts, the ones fans really should be paying attention to the most are ones by the likes of Adbert Alzolay, Tyler Chatwood and Alec Mills. These are the prime candidates for that fifth spot in the rotation. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported that these three would take the ball in the first three spring training games. Not much surprise there.

Right now, it is Chatwood’s spot to lose being the veteran with experience, but it is not 100% locked in. Both Mills and Alzolay have had cracks in the majors and have shown promise in the small sample sizes, but they will still have something to prove if one of them wants that spot. It is worth noting Mills has six career MLB starts while Alzolay has two.

The rest of four spots in the rotation are set outside of which order they will start in on opening week. What they do in spring training will not be much more than just getting back into rhythm as they are all returning healthy. It seems like fans would like to see Alzolay or Mills get a shot at the rotation more than Chatwood, who was pretty effective in relief in 2019 after his disastrous first tenure as a Cubs starter in 2018. In the end, Ross gets the final call.