The Chicago Cubs are in a much better position right now than they were a year ago today. There is so much hope for the future and the rebuild can be characterized as "completed."
What comes next is anyone's guess. A postseason berth? A World Series? Years of underperforming?
All of those are possible now.
One of the best assets the Cubs have is their rotation. Yes, we can talk about the depth all we want. Depth is incredibly important, is indicative of success amongst contenders, and can be the make or break down the stretch.
But the one thing that truly sets Chicago apart from the others is their elite one-two punch atop the rotation in Marcus Stroman and new acquisition Jameson Taillon.
Stroman had an excellent first season with the Cubs tossing 138.2 innings to the tune of a 3.50 ERA and a 1.147 WHIP. More is expected of Stroman, but we at Inside the Cubs also gave a "crazy" prediction that Stroman is going to win the National League Cy Young award in 2023.
He has a proven pedigree, which he flashed at times last season. Couple that with new guy Jameson Taillon and it's a recipe for success.
Taillon threw 177.1 innings last season while registering a 3.91 ERA. IN his six year MLB career, Taillon has been known to be a durable pitcher who you can count on to take the mound every fifth day. In fact, he has expressed the desire to reach 200 innings pitched in 2023.
If Taillon can replicate his 2018 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in which he threw 191.0 innings while registering a 3.20 ERA coupled with a 1.125 WHIP then Chicago will be ecstatic.
Now imagine what happens if Stroman can achieve anything like a Cy Young campaign and Taillon can reach back and replicate a career year, the the Cubs may have one of the best one-two punches in the National League.
Imagine the possibilities then.
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