Chicago Cubs: Michael McAvene has potential for future closer

The Chicago Cubs went heavy on relief pitchers in the 2019 MLB Draft and third-round pick, Michael McAvene has all the makings of a future closer.

Look around the Chicago Cubs roster and you’ll see a few reasons why they missed out on the postseason for the first time in the Joe Maddon era. Certainly, committing 117 errors and running into 64 outs on the basepaths displayed the lack of fundamentals that were in place. The offense was all or nothing most of the season and the starting pitching took a step back from a year ago. It also doesn’t help that their bullpen blew 28 saves, which was third-worst in baseball in that category.

And while the Cubs bullpen will need a massive overhaul this offseason, the future looks very bright for their 2019 third-round draft pick. Michael McAvene, the flamethrower from Louisville, collected 7 saves in 33.0 innings during his junior season. He struck out 50 batters, allowed opponents to bat just 0.202 off him and posted a 2.73 ERA. As noted, the team could potentially lose Pedro Strop, Brandon Kintzler, Brandon Morrow, Steve Cishek, and Xavier Cedeno to free agency.

Major League scouts gave his praise to McAvene’s fastball velocity and a devastating breaking ball but feel he needs to develop another pitch if he wants to become a starter:

"McAvene spent most of the spring working at 93-96 mph with riding life on his four-seam fastball, but the Cubs saw him hit 99 mph during the NCAA Super Regionals. He has done a better job of generating velocity without overthrowing this year, significantly improving his ability to command his high-spin heater. He backs it up with a low-80s breaking ball that combines slider power with curveball depth.McAvene’s strong 6-foot-3 frame is built for durability and he’s throwing more strikes than ever, so Chicago will explore the possibility of making him a starter. To succeed in the rotation, he’ll need to develop a changeup after having little use for one in the past. If he winds up in the bullpen, he has a ceiling of a setup man. – MLB"

While I don’t think McAvene will be a starter when he’s eventually called up to the big leagues, he has the potential to be a terrific back end of the bullpen guy. The big righty finished out his season at Short-Season Eugene and made 6 starts, albeit he averaged just 2.0 innings per game. McAvene finished with 12.2 innings while striking out a ridiculous 20 batters and allowed opponents to hit just 0.119 off him. He displayed terrific command as he walked just 4 batters and allowed 2 earned runs.

A quick review of his starts reveals that he struck out 5 batters in 2.0 innings of work on August 2 and gradually increased his workload, with 4.0 innings and 6 strikeouts on August 31. At already 22-years-old and a dazzling performance in Eugene, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he starts next season at High-A Myrtle Beach. But now we’ll keep close tabs on how the Cubs plan to utilize him.