Chicago Cubs: Who will join Pedro Strop and Brad Brach in the bullpen?
By Paul Ashley
The Chicago Cubs went through twenty-eight relief pitchers (two of which were position players) last season, but they were only able to compile a team WAR that ranked near the middle of the league.
During the 2018 regular season, the Chicago Cubs‘ bullpen ranked 12th throughout Major League Baseball in terms of wins above replacement (WAR) at 4.0 (FanGraphs link). The top individual performers last season were Carl Edwards Jr.(1.1 WAR), Jesse Chavez (1.0 WAR), Pedro Strop (0.8 WAR), and Steve Cishek (0.8 WAR).
Brandon Morrow compiled a 0.6 WAR last season while Justin Wilson and Jorge De La Rosa each added a 0.5 WAR of their own to the team total. The remaining 0.8 WAR was spread out between Anthony Bass (0.2), James Norwood (0.2), Alec Mills (0.1), Jaime Garcia (0.1), Eddie Butler (0.1), and Cory Mazzoni (0.1).
Mike Montgomery, Justin Hancock, and Rob Zastryzny each held a 0.0 WAR during their time in relief last season. Montgomery, Hancock, and Zastryzny interestingly shared the same relief WAR as Anthony Rizzo (0.1 IP) and Ian Happ (1.0 IP).
Out of other Cubs’ pitchers with at least 15 relief appearances, Luke Farrell, Brandon Kintzler, Randy Rosario, and Brian Duensing all compiled a negative WAR. Farell finished at a -0.1 WAR through 18 appearances, Kintzler finished at a -0.3 WAR through 25 appearances, Rosario finished at -0.3 WAR through 44 appearances, and Duensing finished at a dismal -0.9 WAR through 48 appearances.
Although the WAR statistic is not the only part of being a solid relief pitcher, the WAR leader board is generally accurate in listing the top relief pitchers throughout the MLB. For example, Blake Treinen finished first with a 3.6 WAR, Edwin Diaz finished second with a 3.5 WAR, and Josh Hader finished third with a 2.7 WAR.
A member of the Cubs’ bullpen does not appear on the WAR leader board until Edwards Jr shows up at number forty-two, so this is definitely an area for improvement for the team next season.