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Ryan Rolison is just the latest scrap heap success story for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs

The southpaw is enjoying a breakout campaign on the North Side.
Jake Misener
Jake Misener

Cubbies Crib

David Frerker-Imagn Images

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer gets his fair share of criticism. That comes with the territory when your two highest-paid players aren't living up to expectations and your team is underperforming.

But there's one thing he does exceptionally well - building a quality bullpen without relying on high-dollar, multi-year deals. Hitting on bounceback candidates and reclamation projects have been the backbone of the Cubs' bullpen for years and 2026 is no exception. There have been several noteworthy contributors already this season but, for today, let's focus on Ryan Rolison.

The left-hander picked up his fifth win of the season on Saturday, thanks to Pete Crow-Armstrong's heroics, tossing a scoreless top of the ninth and lowering his ERA on the year to an impressive 2.49. It's not hard to figure out how he's found success in Chicago: he keeps the ball on the ground and lets the defense work behind him.

Ryan Rolison keeps the ball on the ground - and lets the Cubs defense do the rest

Rolison's Baseball Savant page is hardly the stuff of legends. In fact, he grades out above league-average in only a handful of metrics: xBA (62nd percentile), K% (61st percentile), extension (68th percentile) and groundball rate (84th percentile). He doesn't get any chase or swing-and-miss, but he's learned to take full advantage of guys like Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman and Dansby Swanson playing behind him.

There's a huge gap (two full runs) between his ERA and FIP, which just goes to show how critical the Cubs' defense has been to his success this year - and his emergence as a key member of Craig Counsell's circle of trust.

A waiver claim from the White Sox late in the offseason, Rolison can be controlled through 2030 at very little cost. The former first-rounder is enjoying his first real success at the big league level and, if he can carry this through the summer, could project as a left-handed piece of the bullpen puzzle in 2027 and beyond.

Jake Misener

Jake Misener

For more than a decade, Jake has been a staple in FanSided MLB - leading the Cubbies Crib team for most of that time.When he's not in the bleachers at Wrigley Field, he can be found covering all things Cubs - including the latest hot stove rumors, roster breakdowns and statistical analyses. Inducted into the FanSided Hall of Fame in 2018, Jake has 15+ years of sports journalism and blogging experience - and is now focused on teaching his daughter the ways of Cubs fandom.