It's high time the Chicago Cubs anoint Porter Hodge as their new closer

The Heart Attack Hector experience is officially over for Chicago Cubs fans. With one swift move, the team shocked everyone on Tuesday with the sudden DFA of Hector Neris, opening a roster spot for new reliever Jack Neely and leaving open a spot for a new primary closer. Neris was thrust into the role early in the season due to injuries and ineffectiveness, but the bullpen has been revitalized down the stretch and there are now better options available on the roster.

The Cubs' bullpen transformation can largely be attributed to three names - Tyson Miller, Jorge Lopez and Porter Hodge. Since arriving in Chicago, Miller and Lopez have become staples in Craig Counsell's game plan, with microscopic 1.34 and 0.83 ERAs respectively. However, despite getting the worst on-the-surface results of the three thus far (2.15), it should be Hodge who takes Neris' place at the back end.

While both Miller and Lopez have a lot to like about what they've done in a Cubs uniform, the team's homegrown righty has a great profile for a closer. He's currently posting 10.43 strikeouts per nine innings, the highest among all of the North Siders' bullpen arms, and, while not as impressive as elite closers like Mason Miller, still lands among the better rates in baseball. For reference, that's just a hair below a previous Cubs closer target, Tanner Scott.

He's only gotten better throughout his time in the majors too. Even if the ERA hasn't reflected much of a change, he's been holding batters to an even more minuscule .146/.241/.223 with a 0.890 WHIP in an admittedly small second-half sample size. The big thing, though, is that his control has never been the problem once feared. 3.6 walks per nine isn't great, but it's perfectly manageable when compared to his ability to blow the ball past batters and limit hard contact. It all contributes to why FanGraphs' expected ERA has him at a still quite solid 2.53 with a 2.50 FIP.

Cubs reliever Porter Hodge has a mindset for the big moments

With the season likely all but lost, there should be no harm in putting a relatively inexperienced arm in such a high-leverage spot. Hodge is no ordinary case either. Despite having never pitched above Double-A before this year, he's not only blossomed as arguably the team's best reliever but has also shown he can handle the biggest moments when Counsell calls his name. In situations considered high leverage, batters are only able to muster a .188/.257/.219 slash line against him.

The Cubs have a few guys with closer-like stuff in the system, but none quite like Hodge who can combine a 95 MPH fastball and a sweeper with a 47.8% whiff rate with positive results at the major-league level. He picked up the save against Detroit on Tuesday night, showcasing his overpowering arsenal. At only 23, it could be huge for his development and for the Cubs to keep him in the ninth inning to close out the year. He has the potential to be that shutdown guy the team has always needed, even as he continues to develop.