Chicago Cubs: Should Adbert Alzolay be in the rotation or the bullpen?

Cubs: The case for Adbert Alzolay being a starter

The Cubs have been absolutely starved for homegrown starting pitchers ever since Theo Epstein became president of baseball operations way back when and it’s important for teams to be able to find and develop their own homegrown talent.

Alzolay showed he can be one of these successes in 2020 albeit in a limited capacity. In his four 2020 outings, the soon-to-be 26-year-old pitched 16 1/3 innings, logged a 3.31 ERA and compiled an 11.0 SO/9 with a 1.163 WHIP. Alzolay also gave up just one home run, a very promising sign considering he’s known as a flyball pitcher.

These are very encouraging numbers, even if they are in a very limited sample size, and it’s something the Cubs need to consider when they decide who goes in the rotation.

The other reason Chicago could be well-served with Alzolay in the rotation is pretty simple. He has something no other Cubs starter possesses: above-average velocity. This team could have one of the softest-tossing rotations in all of baseball in 2021 and Alzolay could give hitters a very different look.

Cubs: The case for Adbert Alzolay being a reliever

Despite Alzolay’s impressive numbers in the rotation, there are a few red flags that may make the Cubs believe there’s more sense in him being a reliever.

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First, Alzolay has yet to make a major league appearance longer than five innings at any point. He simply, as of now, can’t go deep into ball games which is never a good thing. Part of that can probably be attributed to Alzolay not being able to find the zone that easily yet.

He isn’t atrocious by any means, but 5.5 BB/9 as a starter isn’t good, and it’s an issue that may be easier to fix in some lower-leverage relief appearances rather than having to gut through it as a starter.

As I mentioned, Alzolay’s pitches also do have some real potential, with a  running fastball that sits 96-98, a potent curveball and a decent third pitch change-up – stuff that would be great for a reliever. It may also simply just come down to Alzolay being the odd man out of the rotation. It’s more likely that Williams and Mills are slotted for the four and five spots in the rotation given their experience.

Whether Alzolay gets to be in the Cubs rotation or the bullpen remains to be seen, but it’s almost a certainty he’ll be contributing in some way for the team this year. I personally think he should at least start in the rotation because he’s shown flashes of being a good mid-rotation starter.

However I’d also be a fan of him being in the bullpen for a little while before going back to the rotation as he works out a few more kinks that may stop him from reaching his full potential. Either way, Cubs fans should expect Alzolay to be a member of the opening day roster, and hopefully a productive member at that.