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.