Chicago Cubs: Thoughts on every player on the 40-man roster

The pitchers (19):

Cory Abbott, RHP

2021 stats: 0-0, 7 G (1 GS), 6.75 ERA, 8.94 FIP, -0.5 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 1-1, 11 G (3 GS), 5.15 ERA, 5.20 FIP, 0.1 fWAR

Cory Abbott made his major league debut last season for the Cubs after a very solid minor league career. He is very much a strikeout-oriented pitcher. The 26-year-old is projected to begin the season at the club’s Triple-A affiliate and should only see time in the big leagues this upcoming season if more players are traded, or if injuries arise.

Adbert Alzolay, RHP

2021 stats: 5-13, 21 GS, 4.58 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.0 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 6-6, 23 GS, 4.54 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 1.0 fWAR

Last season was Adbert Alzolay’s first full season at the major league level and he looked pretty sharp. Primarily a sinker-slider type of pitcher, Alzolay is highly efficient at limiting walks and held hitters to just a .185 batting average on his slider last year, throwing the pitch over 40% of the time. He is projected to begin the 2022 season with a rotation spot locked down.

Scott Effross, RHP

2021 stats: 2-1, 14 G, 3.68 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 0.2 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 4-4, 62 G, 4.65 ERA, 4.60 FIP, -0.1 fWAR

Scott Effross is a relief pitcher who has done an excellent job of keeping his walk and home run-rates low throughout his minor league career. He got a brief showing in 2021 on the big league club and is projected to be an oft-used middle relief option for the Cubs. He, like Alzolay, is primarily a sinker-slider pitcher and does a great job at limiting baserunners.

Anderson Espinoza, RHP

2021 stats (in A+ and AA): 1-3, 20 GS, 4.19 ERA

2022 FGDC projections: 0-0, 10 G, 4.84 ERA, 4.83 FIP, 0.0 fWAR

Anderson Espinoza, one of the newest Chicago Cubs, came over from the Padres in a trade for Jake Marisnick. Espinoza is a two-time Tommy John surgery recipient and made his first professional appearances since 2016 last year. He has a great fastball and curveball but needs to work on his control if he is to succeed at the big league level. He is projected to start 2022 in the minor leagues.

Kyle Hendricks, RHP

2021 stats: 14-7, 32 GS, 4.77 ERA, 4.89 FIP, 1.3 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 10-11, 31 GS, 4.61 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 1.6 fWAR

Kyle Hendricks, the longtime ace of the Chicago Cubs rotation, is entering his age-32 season coming off of an unusually poor season in 2021. Hendricks posted career-lows in most major categories last season and is projected to post similar results in the upcoming campaign. He is an absolute workhorse and always goes late into games, a feature that the Cubs rely on him for year in and year out.

Codi Heuer, RHP

2021 stats (split between Cubs and White Sox): 7-4, 65 G, 4.28 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 0.7 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 5-4, 68 G, 4.07 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 0.7 fWAR

Codi Heuer joined the Cubs via trade last season right at the deadline, in exchange for Craig Kimbrel. Heuer, 25, has a four-pitch repertoire including a very strong slider and changeup. Both pitches allowed a batting average below .200 last season for Heuer. He projects to serve in a setup role for the Cubbies and could even see the occasional save chance.

Brailyn Marquez, LHP

2021 stats: N/A (injured)

2022 FGDC projections: 3-3, 8 GS, 4.89 ERA, 4.74 FIP, 0.3 fWAR

Brailyn Marquez has done nothing but dominate throughout his minor league career to this point.  The prized lefty entered 2021 as the #2 prospect in the Cubs’ system (per MLB.com) but ultimately missed all of last season due to a variety of ailments. He is projected to begin the season at the club’s Triple-A affiliate and should be near the top of the list when it comes to injury replacements.

Wade Miley, LHP

2021 stats (with Cincinnati): 12-7, 28 GS, 3.37 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 2.9 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 10-10, 29 GS, 4.35 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 1.7 fWAR

35-year-old Wade Miley, claimed by the Cubs back in November, is a durable starting pitcher that can go deep into ballgames and induce soft contact. Not much of a strikeout pitcher at all, Miley barely touches 90 mph on a good day and relies heavily on inducing ground balls and limiting home runs. He is a lock to be on the mound every fifth day and will give the Cubs a veteran pitcher that they could use on their staff.

Alec Mills, RHP

2021 stats: 6-7, 32 G (20 GS), 5.07 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 1.1 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 4-5, 32 G (16 GS), 5.11 ERA, 5.13 FIP, 0.2 fWAR

Despite the fact that he threw a no-hitter in 2020 against the Milwaukee Brewers, Alec Mills just has not been able to stick in the Cubs’ rotation since he joined the club in 2018. Mills, 30, served as both a starting pitcher and reliever last year for Chicago to subpar results. He is a lot like Wade Miley in that he does not strike out many batters but is a ground ball machine and barely hits 90mph on his fastball.

Tommy Nance, RHP

2021 stats: 1-1, 27 G, 7.22 ERA, 5.02 FIP, -0.2 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 2-2, 46 G, 4.28 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 0.0 fWAR

Tommy Nance made his big league debut last season as a 30-year old relief pitcher for the Cubs. He made 27 appearances down the stretch and did not look sharp, posting a 7.22 ERA. Nance’s curveball was absolutely annihilated last season (.400 batting average-against), but his sinker, four-seamer and slider looked stronger. His 5.02 FIP indicates that he may have been a little bit unlucky with the fielders behind him but he will need a strong bounce back season if he is to remain a Cub past 2022.

Ethan Roberts, RHP

2021 stats (in AA and AAA): 4-2, 39 G, 3.00 ERA, 2.50 FIP

2022 FGDC projections: 2-2, 35 G, 4.19 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 0.1 fWAR

Ethan Roberts has yet to make his major league debut but FGDC has him not only making his debut this season, but appearing in a good chunk of games for the Cubs. Roberts, 24, stands at just 5’9″ but is capable of hitting upper-90’s on his fastball and throws a huge sweeping curveball that sits in the high-70’s.

Manuel Rodriguez, RHP

2021 stats: 3-3, 20 G, 6.11 ERA, 5.77 FIP, -0.2 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 4-4, 58 G, 4.44 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 0.1 fWAR

Manuel Rodriguez, like Ethan Roberts, is expected to get some significant playing time out of the Cubs’ bullpen in 2022. Rodriguez is a big-time strikeout pitcher but he is also known to allow too many walks and home runs. His repertoire features two high 90s fastballs (sinker and four-seam) and a high-80s slider that draws a ton of swings and misses.

Michael Rucker, RHP

2021 stats: 0-0, 20 G, 6.99 ERA, 4.72 FIP, -0.1 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 2-2, 48 G, 4.60 ERA, 4.53 FIP, 0.0 fWAR

Michael Rucker is yet another bullpen arm that debuted last year for the Cubs. Rucker, 27, has spent his entire professional career in the Cubs organization and will most likely see a lot of time in 2022 out of the big league ‘pen. He features a five-pitch repertoire highlighted by above-average curveball and slider, allowing a .211 and .111 batting average-against last season, respectively.

Justin Steele, LHP

2021 stats: 4-4, 20 G (9 GS), 4.26 ERA, 5.52 FIP, -0.1 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 5-6, 48 G (15 GS), 4.53 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 0.5 fWAR

Justin Steele, a 26-year-old swingman, also cracked the big league roster for the first time last season. Steele was mostly used as a starter in his minor league career and that is still likely where he’s destined to land in the future, but he is projected to at least begin the season in the Cubs bullpen. He has been highly efficient in limiting home runs throughout his professional career but struggled with that during his 57-inning cameo in the majors last year.

Marcus Stroman, RHP

2021 stats (with New York Mets): 10-13, 33 GS, 3.02 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 3.4 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 12-11, 32 GS, 4.01 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 2.7 fWAR

Marcus Stroman represents the biggest big league signing of the offseason for the Cubs before the lockout froze all transactions. Last year was Stroman’s best professional season as he turned in career-bests in games started and ERA as well as K/9. He will undoubtedly be the Cubs’ ace for the next few seasons as he signed a three-year, $71MM contract in December. His slider and splitter gave hitters fits last season while his sinker (usually his best pitch) faltered somewhat. He will need to regain control of the sinker if he is to continue to be successful.

Keegan Thompson, RHP

2021 stats: 3-3, 32 G (6 GS), 3.38 ERA, 5.16 FIP, -0.2 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 4-5, 52 G (10 GS), 5.01 ERA, 5.06 FIP, 0.1 fWAR

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Keegan Thompson‘s first big league action came last season, functioning as a swingman for the Cubs. Thompson, 26, is capable of starting or relieving and he, like Steele, will be next in line should Alec Mills falter in 2022. Thompson has a four-pitch repertoire that includes a standout curveball, a low-80s pitch that hitters were only able to post a .170 batting average against last season.

Alexander Vizcaino, RHP

2021 stats (in Yankees and Cubs minor league systems): 0-2, 12 G (8 GS), 5.95 ERA

2022 FGDC projections: 1-1, 24 G, 5.56 ERA, 5.57 FIP, -0.1 fWAR

Alexander Vizcaino came over to the Cubs organization at last year’s trade deadline in the Anthony Rizzo trade. Vizcaino is still just 24 years of age and is pretty raw when it comes to his control and durability. His career high in innings pitched is just 87.2, never topping over 54 in any other season since he was drafted back in 2016. Vizcaino’s walk-rate was sky-high last season but he did effectively limit home runs. He will most likely be close to the bottom of the list of potential callups in 2022.

Rowan Wick, RHP

2021 stats: 0-1, 22 G, 4.30 ERA, 3.17 FIP, 0.4 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 3-2, 29 SV, 64 G, 4.03 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 0.3 fWAR

FanGraphs has Rowan Wick projected to be the Cubs’ primary closer in 2022. Wick has just 11 saves to his name since he debuted in 2018 but he throws four very deceptive pitches including a sweeping mid-70s curveball. He is a very high-strikeout pitcher but also allows his fair share of walks, something he will need to improve on if he is to stick in the closer’s role moving forward.

Brad Wieck, LHP

2021 stats: 0-0, 15 G, 0.00 ERA, 1.64 FIP, 0.4 fWAR

2022 FGDC projections: 3-3, 55 G, 4.31 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 0.1 fWAR

Speaking of deceptive pitches, lefty Brad Wieck is a master of making batters swing and miss and make soft contact. Last season (in a small sample size) Wieck did not allow a single run while allowing just a .185 batting average against his fastball and not a single hit against his sweeping, low-70’s curveball. While he does also (very) rarely throw a slider, Wieck seems like a potential closer replacement if Rowan Wick can’t get it done.