Where are they now? Checking in on former Cubs ace Jeff Samardzija

For some time, Jeff Samardzija anchored the Cubs starting rotation. Now 35 years of age, the big right-hander is still chugging along out on the west coast.

The Cubs selected former University of Notre Dame football standout Jeff Samardzija in the fifth round of the 2006 MLB Draft knowing, if nothing else, they were getting an elite athlete. After all, he had toyed with the idea of being a two-sport professional athlete – but quickly decided to focus his efforts on his baseball career instead.

Just over two years later, Samardzija made his big league debut at Wrigley Field. It was a forgettable one, with him blowing a one-run lead in an eventual 3-2 loss to the Marlins. But from there, he turned in an impressive rookie campaign out of the Cubs bullpen, making 26 relief appearances and working to a 2.28 ERA. Control was an issue – but there was definite promise.

In 2009 and 2010, it was a lot of back-and-forth between Chicago and Des Moines for the young hurler. It’s not hard to see why, either. Across the two seasons, Samardzija limped to a 7.83 ERA and 1.889 WHIP in 54 innings of work. His strikeout numbers plummeted and he was walking nearly a half-dozen free passes per nine. But he kept grinding – and started to see dividends.

Chicago Cubs: Turning a stretch of dominance into chips for the future

From there, you have to keep in mind that most of Samardzija’s tenure with Chicago came during the early years of the rebuild under Theo Epstein. Run support was nonexistent – and it took time for the new regime to modernize the organization.

After a strong 2011 showing, Samardzija moved to the rotation full-time in 2012 – and put up strong numbers, with a 3.55 FIP and 1.219 WHIP across a career-high 174 2/3 innings of work. Funnily enough, during his run as a Cubs starter, he never managed a winning record which – again – was largely the result of poor run support.

His final year on the North Side was historic. Through his first 10 starts, Samardzija set a new big league record for lowest ERA by a winless pitcher (1.46 ERA). On the heels of this breakout stretch, Epstein offered the righty a five-year deal that was well below market value – which Samardzija promptly declined. That was the final nail in the coffin when it came to his run with the Cubs.

I remember being at the local Fourth of July fireworks show (that actually took place on July 5) when I got the news: Chicago had traded Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for one of the best prospects in baseball in Addison Russell, along with Billy McKinney and Dan Straily.

Chicago Cubs: A night that quickly went wrong for Samardzija, Giants

After Javier Baez connected on a solo shot in the eighth inning of Game 1 to sink the Giants and ace Johnny Cueto, the Cubs had a chance to push the Giants to the brink of elimination in Game 2 of the 2016 NLDS.

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Toeing the rubber opposite Kyle Hendricks, Samardzija had a chance to even up the series and strike back at his former club. But that’s not what happened. With two outs in the first, Ben Zobrist connected on a run-scoring single in the first to get Chicago on the board. In the second, two more RBI knocks – one courtesy of Hendricks – pushed the Cubs’ lead to 4-0.

That was it. Gregor Blanco pinch-hit for Samardzija in the top of the third, ending his night abruptly. Of course, the Cubs went on to win the series – eventually winning the World Series.

Still looking for his first World Series ring, Samardzija came back in 2017 and had what can only be called an interesting season. He lost 15 games, which at first might make you think he really struggled. But he once again broke the 200-inning mark and actually led all of baseball, walking just 1.4 batters per nine.

After an injury-plagued 2018, the former Notre Dame star bounced back last season, making 32 starts for a disappointing Giants club while working to a 1.108 WHIP. It wasn’t a dominant performance, by any stretch, but he was once again healthy and taking the ball every five days.

2020 marks the final year of that five-year contract Samardzija signed with San Francisco. Given his age and the shortened season, he could be one of the players in a strange position heading into 2021, potentially testing the open waters for the second time in his career in what can only be called an uncertain environment.