The Chicago Cubs need to have a strong bullpen for this season in order to have success and this key right-hander will figure to be a core piece.
The Chicago Cubs still need to add another piece to the backend of their bullpen which they have been trying to do all offseason long. The Cubs have been tied to late inning relievers Tanner Scott, Carlos Estevez, and Jeff Hoffman. Jeff Hoffman is now off the board with signing a three-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Both Scott and Estevez are still on the board and could still land with the Chicago Cubs and be their closer, but the Cubs already have an option to be their Closer in right-hander Porter Hodge.
Needing a backend of the bullpen arm
The Chicago Cubs still need to add another piece to the backend of their bullpen which they’ve been in search of all offseason long. The Chicago Cubs have been connected to All-Star Closers Tanner Scott and Carlos Estevez. However, given both their price tags being as high as it is and the Cubs not willing to spend that type of money both Tanner Scott and Carlos Estevez are asking for. And having Porter Hodge currently on their roster and having future Closer potential giving him a shot should be the way to go.
A future Closer in Porter Hodge
The 23-year-old Porter Hodge was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the thirteenth round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft from Cottonwood HS located in Salt Lake City, UT. Porter Hodge made his Major League Debut for the Cubs on May 22nd, 2024, against the Atlanta Braves where he threw one inning and struck out three. In his first season with the Cubs overall Hodge was outstanding appearing in 39 games in which he had a 3-1 record with a 1.88 ERA with 9 saves, 52 strikeouts, in 43.0 innings of work.
Looking at the 6’4″ right-handers Baseball Savant, Hodge has a three-pitch mix consisting of a fastball, a sweeper, and a splitter. For last season Porter Hodge was primarily a fastball/sweeper guy with using them both at a 61.2% and 37.5% clip with just adding the splitter into his repertoire this season throwing it just eight times. For Porter Hodge he needs to come into spring training focusing on developing his splitter so he can pair it with his fastball which sits at around 95mph and plays well at the top of the zone. Porter Hodge also proved to be solid at fielding his position with having a fielding percentage of 1.000%, having five putouts with three assists in eight chances.
The future backend of the bullpen
FanGraphs projects the Chicago Cubs to have Porter Hodge be their closer for this upcoming season with right-handers Tyson Miller and Nate Pearson figuring to be his setup-men. The Chicago Cubs need to have Porter Hodge to be successful this season and be an anchor in the Cubs bullpen for them to have success. It’s always proven to be a bugaboo for players to get the final three outs in the ninth inning with not every reliever proving to be up to the challenge, but with nine saves already under his belt the 230lbs right-hander appears to be up to the challenge.
With the Chicago Cubs not having a stable and a reliable closer for some time now, having Porter Hodge take the Closers role and make it his own would add so much value to the backend of the bullpen. Knowing that the ninth inning will be covered will allow the rest of the guys in the bullpen to settle into their roles with ease. As the bullpen starts to take shape and get into form for next season having Porter Hodge come into this season healthy and ready to cease the opportunity will be exciting to see as fans.
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