Chicago Cubs News: Positive takeaways from the 2020 season

While it wasn’t the outcome many Cubs fans hoped for, the 2020 season had some positives for next year.

After getting off to a 13-3 start, many, including myself, thought the Chicago Cubs were the perfect team to have success in a 60-game span.

Sadly, things took a turn for the worst and the team couldn’t reach ten games above .500 until the final weeks of the season before limping into the playoffs with a record of 34-26.

They did manage to win their division, but now looking back many agree the competition wasn’t the best. The four teams from the NL Central (Cubs, Cardinals, Reds, Brewers) who qualified for the playoffs combined for just one win in the Wild Card Series.

The core players of their team struggled like we’ve never seen before, and with a large majority set to hit the free-agent market after next season, the front office has a lots of decisions as to which direction the team should head moving forward.

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As if those choices weren’t tough enough, there have been talks of late about the future of the team’s President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein.

Like his core players, Epstein’s contract is set to expire after next season. After some comments he made earlier this week, it seems like he already has his bags packed.

“For me, as an individual, there is a benefit for change, after a significant amount of time on the job,” Epstein said. “I have to keep that in mind without making any definitive statements.”

Sounds like a nice way of Theo telling the Cubs, “it’s not you, it’s me”.

It’s safe to say the future of the Cubs is certainly up in the air, and for that matter the future of baseball.

There are no guarantees of a 162-game regular season, which could add to the decision making this offseason.

Let’s just say things are what we’re accustomed to in 2021. Epstein will still lead the front office, David Ross will still be the manager, and the Cubs probably won’t blow up the team entirely.

The 2020 regular season wasn’t a fan favorite, but there are some positive things to take with us into next year.

The Cubs offense was inconsistent all season, but their starting pitching kept them in games.

Yu Darvish

If we were to hand out a MVP award to anyone on the Cubs roster this season, I believe Yu Darvish should be the unanimous choice.

Darvish put together one of the best statistical seasons of his career in 2020: 12 starts (8-3) 2.01 ERA 76 IP 59 H 93 SO 14 BB.

Aside from his stats, the right-hander came up big whenever the Cubs were in desperate need of a win this season. This includes his first playoff-start since the Astros buzzed and banged their way to a game seven win with Darvish was on the mound in 2017.

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Against the Marlins in game two, Darvish allowed just two earned runs while striking out six in 6 2/3 innings pitched.

He gave the Cubs a chance to win in that game, and you can say the same about any of his starts this season. Darvish was dominant, allowing more than three runs just once, and throwing ten quality starts in his 12 games pitched.

Kyle Hendricks

Kyle Hendricks also put in a stellar 2020 campaign: 12 starts (6-5) 2.88 ERA 81.1 IP 73 H 84 SO 8 BB.

The Professor began the season as the Cub’s ace and didn’t disappoint, tossing a three-hit shutout on opening night.

Aside from a few rough starts against the Reds, Hendricks dominated the rest of his opponents. The right-hander allowed more than three earned runs, just twice, and threw nine quality starts.

Both Hendricks (30) and Darvish (34) are signed through the 2024 season. As we know good pitchers don’t grow on trees, so the duo should be the cornerstones of the rotation moving forward.

Future of the Rotation

With the likely departures of Jon Lester and Jose Quintana, the Cubs will likely turn to Adbert Alzolay or Alec Mills to step up in the rotation.

Alzolay pitched a small sample size of the season, but showed promise on the mound: (1-1) 2.95 ERA 21.1 IP 12 H 29 SO 13 BB.

Mills came into this shortened season having made six career starts and took on the challenge of being an option in the back-end of the rotation: (5-5) 4.48 ERA 62.1 IP 53 H 46 SO 19 BB.

While he wasn’t dominant all season, aside from his no-hitter against the Brewers, he has the kind of stuff that can keep the Cubs in ballgames and give their offense a chance.

Combine these four pitchers with a power-arm like Trevor Bauer, and the Cubs could have one of the best rotations in baseball next season.