Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija ever closer to be part of rotation
The Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija appears to have sealed his name for the rotation. The Cubs manager, Dale Sveum, indicated on Sunday, March 18, that Samardzija might be one of the top candidates to book the slot for rotation.
The Chicago Cubs are currently brooding over the names that could be part of the rotation. From Rodrigo Lopez to Travis Wood, and Randy Wells to Chris Volstad, Samardzija has indeed got a tough challenge to surmount should he qualify as the team starter.
But the overall performance in the Cactus League indicates he has almost made it there. It was something that the team manager also alluded to. "Obviously, that lock's getting a little closer and closer to being finalized," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said Sunday.
That reveals more than it obscures on the future course of action until and unless something unanticipated happens.
If there was anything that the observers might have found somewhat ambiguous, Sveum clarifies it further.
"It's impressive and it's what organizations dream of -- a 6-foot-6, 240-pound athlete on the mound who has four pitches with velocity," Sveum said of Samardzija's performance. "It's impressive, there's no doubt about it. I don't think he's doing anything
we didn't expect. The way he finished throwing the ball the last season, the mechanical changes he made, the confidence he gained. Now it's just full force right now."
Samardzija emboldened his case for being the part of rotation on Saturday when the Cubs played against the Texas Rangers. Of the four innings that he pitched, he merely allowed a run against an arguably tough hitting side in baseball.
The only run that came to the Rangers was after back to back three singles that enabled the Rangers to score a run. Otherwise, Samardzija kept the defence intact for the Cubs in his pitching spell.
With the hitters getting their act together, a stronger offence means the Cubs will be too strong a team to beat this season. This is a good development for a team that lost over 90 games last year following which the team manager, Mike Quade, had to resign.
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