Chicago Cubs: Who needs to shine during the shortened season?

Chicago Cubs are going to need more from this starter

Consistency hasn’t always been Jose Quintana’s friend. Entering his third full year as a member of the Cubs, Jose has been on what you could call a rollercoaster. Ahead of the lockdown, Quintana made two Cactus League starts in which he surrendered four earned runs (six hits) in four frames.

Last year, the 31-year-old southpaw ended the campaign with a career-worst 4.68 ERA despite winning 13 games. Opposing hitters tallied 89 earned runs on 191 hits (also a career-worst) against Quintana in 171 innings pitched.

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Two more than his previous career-high, which was set in a split season with both the White Sox and Cubs. You know when Theo Epstein traded top prospect, Eloy Jimenez, to the South Side to acquire Quintana’s services.

The 2019 version that needs to show up this year has to be from August. That month Quintana yielded eight runs in 35 2/3 innings while posting a 39/6 K/BB ratio, 2.02 ERA, and record of 4-1.

With the National League adopting the DH for the season, it will be familiar territory for Jose, who spent the early portion of his career in the American League. The same goes for Chicago’s No. 1 southpaw, Jon Lester.

This Chicago Cubs outfielder is out to silence his critics

One member of this outfield who has had it rough is Ian Happ. Happ began the 2018 season with a lead-off home run on the first pitch that was delivered in Miami. A year later, fans found him starting things off with the Iowa Cubs due to him striking out 167 times.

It was a mental battle for Ian; however, he did not give up on returning to the big leagues. On July 25, Chicago gave Happ a second chance to prove himself. In 58 games, Happ .264/.333.564 with 11 home runs, 30 RBI, and struck out 39 times through 140 at-bats.

Before departing, skipper Joe Maddon used Happ in several positions other than the outfield and his secondary, which is second base. He made seven appearances at first base and eight at third, giving his manager other options to work with.

Before baseball operations came to a halt, Happ was lighting up the Cactus League. In 27 at-bats, the 25-year-old switch-hitter recorded 13 hits (two home runs, 11 RBI) on an outstanding batting line of .481/.500/.815.

Now that National League managers will be allowed to experiment with the DH rule, Happ should get more playing time. Ross will use Kyle Schwarber as the teams DH, keeping Albert Almora Jr in center field and Jason Heyward in right field.

Expect Ian to keep things rolling.

Can this Chicago Cubs closer return to elite form? Let us hope.

Fans pleaded for Chicago’s front-office to sign Craig Kimbrel as they witnessed this bullpen go from bad to worse. Finally, on June 6, Kimbrel inked a three-year, $43 million contract, giving the Cubs another elite closer since Aroldis Chapman in 2016.

Only it didn’t necessarily end the way fans had hoped. Yes, Kimbrel missed a good chunk of the season, including spring training, so there was some rust. On a shortened season of his own, Kimbrel posted an ERA of 6.53 (career-worst) in 23 appearances for the Cubs.

The two-time Reliever of the Year recipient and seven-time All-Star had one other season in which his earned run average was above three. Something Cubs fans should keep in mind as the team gears up for the shortest season since 1878.

Over the years, Kimbrel has proven that he is the real deal when it comes to closing games, recording 346 of 383 save opportunities. As a member of the Red Sox, the 32-year-old racked up 110 saves, winning a World Series title in the process.

His postseason stat-line? A 3.92 ERA with seven saves in as many opportunities. Six of the seven coming in his final postseason run with Boston. If he is capable of shrugging 2019, then this organization will be difficult to beat in 2020.