3 under-the-radar Chicago Cubs off to a good start in 2023

3 under-the-radar players this year - 1. Adbert Alzolay Jr.

After only appearing in six games in 2022 due to injury, Adbert Alzolay has already appeared in three this season and now owns a sparkly 2.25 ERA throughout eight innings of work. Having players like Alzolay in the bullpen that can come in and shut the opposing team down after a starting pitcher has a rough outing is what Jed Hoyer meant by wanting to add as much depth as possible. You can never have too much pitching, and Alzolay is one of the unsung heroes of the 2023 season.

With Javier Assad recently being sent down to Triple-A, it will be interesting to see if the Cubs turn to Alzolay in the starting rotation again as time goes on if someone else struggles for a prolonged period. The first person who comes to mind who might have the shortest leash is Hayden Wesneski, and after Alzoilay has fired 3.1 scoreless frames over the past two games, it's at least worth the conversation down the road. It's good to see Alzolay in command when he's on the mound, and hopefully, he continues to shine in his role.