Jameson Taillon has quietly stepped up for Cubs in a huge way

At the start of the 2025 season, Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon slotted in as the number three starter in the team's rotation, right behind projected aces Justin Steel and Shota Imanaga.

His role was simple: be good enough. Taillon served as the stop gap between the front and back ends of the rotation — not an ace, but capable of putting forward a solid performance more often than not. Then, in the span of a month, the Cubs announced that both Steele and Imanaga would be out of commission for an extended period of time, putting more pressure on the back end of the rotation.

Jameson Taillon provding Cubs much-needed consistency atop rotation

In seven games since Imanaga was placed on the IL, Taillon has a record of 5-2, along with an ERA of just 3.14. It may not be pretty, but Taillon has quietly been one of the better pitchers in all of Major League Baseball with ten quality starts to his name, trailing only Spencer Schwellenbach and Paul Skenes, who each have 11 of their own.

Taillon was just as sharp on Thursday night, throwing seven innings of two-run ball as the Cubs took the first game of the series over the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 3-2.

Taillon is a prime example of a workhorse who simply gets the job done. Batters only whiff on his pitches 22 percent of the time with a 20 percent strikeout rate, both of which are below league average according to Baseball Savant.

Where Taillon excels, however, is limiting baserunners. Taillon ranks in the 91st percentile of MLB with a 4.9 percent walk rate, and his WHIP of 0.980 sits just outside of MLB’s top ten. When batters do make contact with his pitches, they are hit at an average of 87.5 MPH, well below the league average in exit velocity.

Imanaga did well in his first rehab assignment in Arizona, but the Cubs still don’t expect him to return to the rotation until late June at the earliest. Steele, on the other hand, will be sidelined for the rest of the 2025 season after reconstructive elbow surgery in April. 

In the meantime, Taillon has established himself as an anchor in the rotation this season, something that will give the Cubs a lot of confidence as the season continues to progress.