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3 Cubs pitchers who put up eye-catching numbers this Spring Training
These three Cubs hurlers had convincing performances this Spring Training as the pitching staff looks to take a step forward in 2024
The Chicago Cubs have a much different pitching staff this year with free agent additions like Hector Neris and Shota Imanaga, while young arms like Luke Little and Cade Horton are looking to positively impact the big league squad. Things are looking particularly good for these three pitchers, who just capped off a month of solid Spring Training performances in preparation for a season where expectations are as high as they have been since the 2021 trade deadline. Here are three pitchers who put up eye-catching numbers in March.
1. Adbert Alzolay
Over his seven appearances in Spring Training, the Cubs' presumptive closer Adbert Alzolay dazzled with a 0.00 ERA over seven innings pitched. More impressively, Alzolay struck out seven batters and only surrendered one walk and four hits. If this is a sign of things to come, the Cubs bullpen is in very good hands because having a reliable closer takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the group.
It will be exciting to see if Alzolay can put together a full season as the closer and what results that will yield. It wasn't until June of last year when former manager David Ross solidified his bullpen structure, featuring Alzolay as the closer with Julian Merryweather and Mark Leiter Jr. as the set-up men. Things will be different this year with the additions of Hector Neris, Yency Almonte, and Jose Cuas, with rookie Luke Little rounding out the reliever corps. With solid contributors all around, the table is set for Alzolay to inherit more ninth-inning appearances and rack up his save count.
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2. Jordan Wicks
Jordan Wicks, the Cubs' 2021 first-round pick, is heading into a very big season, where he has already been named a member of the starting rotation. After his first taste of the big leagues last year, where he pitched fairly well for his inexperience (4.41 ERA), Wicks is ready to contribute at a higher level and he just turned in a convincing Spring Training that leaves a good feeling for his future. Over his 21.1 innings pitched, Wicks struck out 16 batters and kept his ERA at a stellar 2.53.
With Jameson Taillon's injury and Shota Imanaga's inexperience, Wicks will be relied on heavily to turn in quality starts and keep the team in ball games. If he can live up to the hype of his first-round draft pick status, the 24-year-old Wicks could be a major component of the Cubs' rotation for years to come. But there will certainly be a learning curve at some point, where Wicks will have to make the proper adjustments to succeed in the long run.
3. Shota Imanaga
In his first Major League Spring Training, southpaw Shota Imanaga didn't light up the stat sheet across the board. The 5.68 ERA is not pretty to look at, but Imanaga's high strikeout percentage was a sight to see as he K'd 25 batters in just 12.2 innings pitched. There were only four other pitchers who compiled more strikeouts than Imanaga this Spring Training, and it would be extremely valuable for the Cubs if he can transfer this K rate into the regular season.
In recent years, the Cubs have relied on starters who induce a lot of ground balls, like Kyle Hendricks, Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly etc. Given the Cubs currently have four gold glovers set to start on Opening Day, you can get away with letting your defense do a lot of work for you. But a high strikeout pitcher like Imanaga would complement the rest of the rotation nicely and give opposing lineups a very different look from the mound.
Imanaga will be taking the mound in the Cubs' home opener against the Colorado Rockies on Monday so hopefully he can immediately start showing fans why he chose to play in Chicago.
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