Chicago Cubs: Mike Montgomery Will Be Valuable in Utility Role
Mike Montgomery will shine for the Chicago Cubs as a versatile left-hander.
The Chicago Cubs have officially set their starting rotation for the start of the 2017 season. Jon Lester will start on Opening Day against the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by Jake Arrieta, John Lackey, Brett Anderson and Kyle Hendricks. The order that the pitchers will go may surprise you but the names should not.
Lester, Arrieta, Lackey and Hendricks were stone cold locks for the rotation, while Anderson certainly makes sense when he is healthy. The only potential surprise omission is left-hander Mike Montgomery.
Montgomery joined the Cubs after a pre-Trade Deadline move last season. He immediately found some success in the bullpen and even played a role as the Cubs’ sixth starting pitcher in the second half.
Montgomery was better as a reliever (2.10 ERA in 64.1 innings last season), but he was also rock-solid in the rotation (3.28 ERA in seven starts). On top of that, Mongomery was one of the Cubs’ most reliable bullpen pitchers in the postseason, allowing only five earned runs in 14.1 innings of work. Montgomery is a talented pitcher who showed that he can be valuable to the team as a starter or a reliever.
In fact, his versatility probably cost him a chance to be a part of the Cubs’ rotation to start the season.
"“I told [Montgomery] it’s his fault for being so versatile,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, according to Cubs.com. “He could be this utility pitcher who is very successful. Although, when he gets the chance to start, he nails it down, too.”"
For his part, Mongomery is fine with whatever the Cubs want him to do.
"“I feel good about it,” Montgomery said. “I’m here to get outs and it doesn’t matter when or where it is. Either way, it’s a win-win for me.”“This team is really, really good,” Montgomery said. “Just to be a part of this team is good. To fill a unique role is something I take pride in. It’s something I’m excited about. I’ll just be the best reliever I can be.”"
Maddon is an extremely creative manager who is perfect for handling a situation like this. I am sure that Montgomery would love to be a full-time starting pitcher, but he can really help this team by playing this utility role. Maddon will the way to get the most out of Montgomery this season.
The Chicago Cubs are loaded with talent all over the field. They have the best collection of position player talent in Major League Baseball, a dominant starting rotation and a bullpen with a ton of upside.
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Montgomery accepting his role is extremely important to the success of this team. He is the best left-handed reliever who they will have in the bullpen and his ability to spot start is extremely valuable. Montgomery will be a weapon out of the pen and a starter who they could use to keep their best starting pitchers fresh for the stretch run.
Finding a guy who can bring that kind of versatility is extremely rare.