4 Cubs who drastically exceeded expectations in 2024

3: Rookie right-hander Porter Hodge came out of nowhere to be a shutdown late-inning reliever

Chicago Cubs rookie Porter Hodge made his big-league debut in late May and never looked back.

He has barely a dozen relief appearances at Triple-A under his belt, but that didn't matter for the young right-hander, who joined the relief mix and later took over ninth-inning duties late in the year following the downfalls of both Adbert Alzolay and Hector Neris.

Hodge made 39 appearances on the year, working to a 1.88 ERA with a 31.7 percent strikeout rate. You have to be careful betting too heavily on him heading into 2025 given a brutal 11.6 percent walk rate that's the reddest of red flags out there, but he overcame that by limiting contact (.179 xBA).

His sweeper was particularly effective, with opponents batting just .070 against the pitch and slugging only .105. Along with Tyson Miller and Jorge Lopez, Hodge helped stabilize a bullpen that really struggled early on in the season but wound up being one of the Cubs' biggest strengths down the stretch.