Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop is underappreciated

Pedro Strop has had a terrific career with the Chicago Cubs, but do fans realize how great he has been?

Unfortunately, there is not a statistic or even advanced statistic to show how much a fanbase appreciates a player. There is always a player or two on each successful team that flies under the radar and is overshadowed by super stars.

Travis Wood was that guy on the 2016 Chicago Cubs roster. He was a weapon out of the bullpen and even played some left field. He ate up innings after an abbreviated outing from a starting pitcher. He did not have a devastating out pitch or high-speed fastball but he got outs when the Cubs needed them.

Brian Duensing has taken Wood’s place as an underappreciated Cub this season minus the playing left field part (yet?).

Pedro Strop is another Cub that deserves some appreciation. He has been a consistently good reliever for the Cubs for the better part of five seasons.

Strop has had his fair share of control issues, much like most relievers, but his ERA and FIP have always ended up being better than league average for the most part.

Also, when relievers struggle it is often magnified because they rarely pitch multiple innings like a starting pitcher does. Let’s look at how consistent Strop has been year in year out.

By the numbers

ERA:

2013 – 2.83
2014 – 2.21
2015 – 2.91
2016 – 2.85
2017 – 2.96

FIP

2013 – 2.31
2014 – 2.66
2015 – 3.16
2016 – 2.91
2017 – 3.42

The Cubs are 23-12 after the All-Star and playing the best baseball they have played all season. Pedro Strop has followed suit. Since the break, Strop has appeared in 16 games and has recorded seven holds, a 2.87 ERA and has held opposing baseball hitters to a .137 average.

When Strop is painting black with his fastball, his wipeout slider is nearly unhittable. Manager Joe Maddon has shown time and time again, he will put Strop in the game when the Cubs need a strikeout.

Strop is tied for third for the highest WAR out of Cub relievers. He only trails Wade Davis and Brian Duensing and tied with Koji Uehara. Strop produced .7 WAR in 2016 and 1.2 WAR in 2015, which only trailed Hector Rondon out of the Cub relievers.

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When Strop’s time comes to an end with the Cubs, his crooked hat and vicious celebratory fist pumps should be looked at with a sense of appreciation. For now, he is an extremely important piece on a championship contender.