Chicago Cubs Season Report Card: Steele, Imanaga, Taillon |
Now that we have finished the position portion of the Season Report Card series, it is time to shift to the starting pitching. Of all the things that went wrong for the Cubs this season, starting pitching wasn't one of them, as they had one of the best starting rotations in baseball from start to finish.
Sure, they went through their fair share of injuries this season, especially the back end of the Cubs rotation, but no matter who they went to, the chances of delivering a great outing were very high. Today, it is all about the front half of the rotation, as the Cubs' big three were about as good as any of them out there. If the Cubs had gotten into the postseason, you had to like their chances to make it a long series based on the top three in their rotation.
Coming off an incredible 2023 season that saw Steele finish in the top four in Cy Young voting, Steele hoped to take the next step in his MLB development as a pitcher. Known for his two-pitch mix, Steele was starting to look like a reincarnated Jon Lester last season, and the Cubs know all too well how that worked out for them. What Chicago got from the left-hander was an injury-plagued campaign. A hamstring injury on his first start sidelined him for over a month before he dealt with some elbow discomfort late in the year. It wasn't the type of season he or anyone in the Cubs organization wanted, and you felt his absence early on. Regardless, Steele continued to deliver when called on. He posted a 5-5 record across the 24 starts he made while posting a 3.07 ERA. That was eerily similar to his 3.06 ERA last season, as Steele is becoming a model of consistency in this game. Season Grade B+: Injuries are part of the game, which the Cubs found out the hard way this season, but Steele managed to work through the injuries to put together the best season possible. He is the definition of what a consistent left-handed starter looks like and has quickly become a matchup nightmare for many teams. He is one of the Cubs' two aces that the team needs to build around, and that will help this team in the long haul.
There have been a lot of questionable moves from Jed Hoyer and the signing of Shota Imanga was one of them when the season started. Although this team was in the market for a starting pitcher, most of the fans wanted Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, or Yoshinobu Yamamoto. With all three costing too much for the Cubs, they elected to go with Imanaga, and boy, was that a blessing in disguise for the Cubs. Japanese pitchers tend to struggle when it comes to adjusting to the MLB game, but Imanaga wasn't one of them. He will not only be in the rookie of the year conversation but should also get at least some Cy Young consideration. Across his 29 starts this season, Imanaga was about as dominant as possible, posting a 15-3 record with a sparkling 2.91 ERA. Throw in that the Cubs were 22-7 in the games he started, and you can see why he was the stopper for the Cubs all season. Along with that, Imanaga tossed a career-high in innings while striking out 174 and walking 28. Season Grade A+++++: It is hard to put into words what Imanaga did this season, especially when you consider he had more starts than walks allowed this season. Sure, the long ball was an issue at times, but he was able to limit the damage more often than not, as he allowed fewer than four runs in 24 of his 29 starts. In fact, more than 40% of the earned runs he allowed this season came on his three rough starts, which shows you how dominant he truly was.
Back injury, what back injury as Jameson Taillon erased any doubts of him having a bad season. Entering the second year of a four-year deal and coming off a horrendous first season, there were many question marks surrounding Taillon this season, which only intensified once he missed the start of the season with a back injury. Instead, Taillon went out and was arguably the Cubs' second-best pitcher. He finished second on the team with 12 wins, going 12-8 and posting one of the lowest ERAs of his career at 3.27. He did that by pitching to contact, which is an art in today's game, and allowing the defense to make the plays behind him. Season grade B+: Not only was Taillon a question mark at the beginning of the season, but there was also a question as to whether or not he would be here after the trade deadline, considering how well he pitched. Not only was he here, but the Cubs were glad they hung onto him as he was better than they could've hoped for. He will continue to be one of the team's biggest question marks this offseason as he will most likely find his name come up in trade talks. However, with the Cubs in the market for another starter, having Taillon as your No. 4 wouldn't be a bad idea.Justin Steele
Shota Imanaga
Jameson Taillon
