Sometimes a diamond in the rough is nothing more than a mirage. Sometimes that mirage of a diamond is a relief pitcher giving Chicago Cubs fans false hope. Position: Relief Pitcher 2018 Stats: ERA of 7.65, with a WHIP of 1.88, a FIP of 6.30, a DRA of 7.34, a DRA- of 163.9, and a […]
Tag: brian duensing
Cubs Re-sign Brian Duensing
The Chicago Cubs added what presumes to be the final piece of their bullpen by re-signing pitcher Brian Duensing to a two-year, $7 million deal. With his signing, the Cubs continued their flood of offseason pitching acquisitions, likely ended the whispering that they might be interested in Greg Holland, and cemented themselves in the financial […]
2017 Player Profile: Brian Duensing
Position: Relief Pitcher 2017 Stats: 0 saves, 2.74 ERA/3.43 FIP/4.08 DRA, 89 cFIP, 8.8 K/9, 0.8 WARP Year in Review: When Brian Duensing signed with the Cubs for 1 year/$2 million last December, many thought the move was a call for depth heading into the 2017 season. But Duensing far exceeded the organization’s expectations, throwing the second most […]
I’m Walkin’ Here: A Bullpen Story
The Cubs bullpen, by and large, has been good, as it was expected to be. Overall, the bullpen sports an impressive 4.01 DRA, good for fourth in the majors, whereas the starters rank 14th with a 4.86. On the more traditional side, the relievers have fared just as well, with a 3.45 ERA that ranks […]
Appreciation for Brian Duensing
Halfway through the season, it’s become apparent that we’re living in one of those alternate PECOTA-projected simulations where the Cubs are a .500 team, the Brewers are just good enough to hold on to first, the Diamondbacks and Rockies are legitimately good, and the Giants are having one of the worst seasons in their history. There […]
The BABIP-Defying Bullpen
If there was one aspect of the Cubs’ 2016 performance that was almost certain to regress, it was the historic .255 BABIP allowed by the pitching staff. That mark was the lowest since the last round of expansion in 1998 by a clear margin, beating the 116-win Mariners of 2001 by 5 points, and the […]
Southpaw Roulette: Assessing the Cubs Left-handed Bullpen Options
At this point in the off-season, the Cubs have a pretty good idea what their roster might look like on Opening Day. While they might tinker on the fringes and try to get a bargain in January/February, I thought this would be a good time to evaluate the internal options for left-handed relief in the […]
Offseason Plan: Lefty Relievers
As the Chicago Cubs head into the holidays after a fairly active winter meetings, we take a look at the next complementary piece. The bullpen as of today includes newly-acquired Wade Davis as their closer with primary setup men Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, and Carl Edwards Jr. The is a very good, but entirely right-handed ground. […]