Cubs News: Further assessing the three newest minor league pitchers

Three minor league pitchers - 2. Roenis Elias

Roenis Elias has formerly had success in the majors as a starter and reliever. Another potential bulk option out of the pen, Elias will look to mirror the success of the Dominican Winter League this winter, in which he recorded a 0.92 ERA in 39 frames. We saw Elias post an ERA in the 2.00s in 2018 with Seattle, where he made four starts in 23 appearances. His left-handed ability gives the Cubs some much-needed southpaw depth, which only has Brandon Hughes in its ranks.

Elias has been just about league-average throughout his big league career. Given his success in the Dominican Winter League this winter, it's no surprise the Cubs are taking a flier on hope in hopes that he can continue turning the same corner in the MLB. A reverse-splits guy, Elias has given up a slash of .261/.342/.405 and 48 earned runs in 96 frames to opposing lefties throughout his career. He must improve against hitters from the same side of the plate to take a step forward. His career ERA of 3.78 against righties is fine if he can limit the damage against lefties. Even lowering to a ratio of 1 ER per 3 IP instead of 1 ER per 2 IP drops his lefty ERA from 4.50 to a much more respectable 3.00.

This may be where Carter Hawkins and crew can step in to help tweak something in his delivery to revitalize his career. At 34 years old, It will be interesting to see if he breaks camp from Spring Training with the big-league roster or is sent to Iowa to begin the 2023 campaign. Being a lefty, it could be of massive value to the Cubs' organization if he works out. Expect the Cubs pitching infrastructure to work with him closely and see him in a big league uniform at some point in the 2023 season.