Ivy League Cubs

By: Jacob Zanolla

The Cubs have been fairly consistent offensively, especially with the breakout of Michael Busch. The main problem so far has been the pitching, and specifically the bullpen. At 13-9, they’ve still started off strong, but the leads blown overpower the wins. Craig Counsell entered the year with no debate about who is closer would be. Adbert Alzolay had the closing role locked down, although he has quickly lost that role. 

In 2023, Alzolay had a 2.67 ERA and 22 saves. He only blew three saves in 58 games, giving up five home runs total. So far in 2024, he already has blown four saves, appearing in only 11 games. He has a 4.09 ERA, allowing 4 home runs, each one in those blown saves I just mentioned. He’s clearly giving up home runs more often, and the stats continue to prove that. Last year his HR/9 was 0.70, but right now it’s already 3.27. The Cubs have blown several leads already, with the most memorable being the 8-0 lead against the Padres that finished as a 9-8 loss. Just a couple days ago, Alzolay came in to close out game one of the double header against the Marlins, just needing a quick scoreless inning to finish the game. He gave up a two-run home run to Bryan De La Cruz. This was his fourth blown save of the season, all of them due to a home run. While I still want Alzolay in the bullpen, it’s clear he needs a break from closing. Who are some other options to close games for the Cubs?

One option I want to look at is Mark Leiter Jr. He finished off last season by having a blowup of sorts, losing control of his splitter. Leiter Jr. has been lights out this year, continuing to show that his nickname “Leit Show” is still accurate. One of the most intriguing aspects of his game is the fact that he is better against left-handed hitters compared to right-handed hitters. He has thrown his splitter 53 times, generating a 66.7% whiff rate. Mainly thrown to lefties, it’s one of the few examples where a pitcher will want the batter to be opposite-handed. He’s struck out 10 hitters with this pitch, and is yet to give up a hit. This is the main reason I want Leiter Jr. to be the closer, because when his splitter is working he is absolutely elite. His opponents produce ground balls 57.7% of the time, which is also helpful thanks to the elite infield defense for the Cubs.

Luke Little is someone else who I think could be considered, possibly closing on the days that Leiter Jr. is down. Little is a tall lefty who can throw hard, meaning he can be exceptional if he has control. The main problem with him right now is in fact his control, which is why I think he shouldn’t be the main closer right now. Ben Brown appears to be kicked out of the starting rotation, much to the frustration of many fans. Kyle Hendricks had another poor start, but not as bad as his others. If he does end up getting kicked out of the rotation, I hope Brown gets another chance at that spot. Until then, I think looking at him as a possible closing option would be very interesting. Leiter would be my preferred closer, but Brown appeared in relief on Saturday and looked excellent. I don’t think this will happen, mainly because he will probably pitch for a few innings at a time, but having him to use if needed could be an option for Counsell at the end of games.

No matter what happens, change needs to happen to keep this team in contention. A positive takeaway is that even with these blown saves, the Cubs are still four games above .500. There is more to be desired, but hopefully this can be fixed with a different bullpen alignment. 

Photo credit: Chicago Sun-Times