Chicago Cubs: Assessing the fifth starter spot candidates
By Ryan Sikes
Alzolay could finally have his chance to land in the Cubs’ rotation.
Adbert Alzolay
Alzolay got a taste of the big leagues last year, performing beautifully in 4.0 innings against the New York Mets and backing Tyler Chatwood‘s spot start. That evening, the 24-year-old struck out five batters before walking the first two batters in the ninth inning and was pulled. He followed that performance with a spot start on June 25, striking out four while also walking four. Alzolay had a bit of a clunker against the Pirates five days later, and that was enough to send him back to Iowa for regular starts. He did return in September to pitch an inning and struck out one while walking two more.
Why he will get the spot: Alzolay has been the Cubs’ minor league system since 2013 and has had two stints at Triple-A Iowa. In 23 starts, he’s posted a 4.54 ERA while striking out 118 batters in 105.0 innings of work.
Why he won’t get it: Alzolay logged his highest BB/9 last year across three levels of the Cubs’ organization. He missed a large part of the 2018 season with a lat strain, and some feel that he could be better used as a bullpen arm. With the Cubs lacking quality bullpen arms at the moment, it may not be the worst idea either.
Mills made four spot starts for the Cubs last year and posted a very respectable 2.75 ERA. He has a crazy amount of spin on his slider, which produced a ridiculous 52.6 percent K rate last year. Mills comes with the bonus of being the new Mike Montgomery, in that he could likely pitch from both the bullpen and the rotation. However, this year, the Cubs need to utilize him in just one fashion rather than being constantly stretched out.
Why he will get the spot: Mills performed well last season, and he has the stuff to be more than a serviceable fifth starter. He’s not going to overpower anyone with his fastball – as it tops out at just 90 mph – but he utilizes deception and off-speed pitches very well to get batters out.
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Why he won’t get it: Batters were able to hit .324 off his fastball last year, and he has the propensity to walk a few batters. Given his reliance on off-speed pitches, Mills needs to live on the edge of the strike zone, or he will get hit hard.