The Cubs front office has been quite busy during the off-season. A key thing for the Cubs is to improve the rotation and Jameson Taillon agreed to a 4-year deal with the Cubs. Taillon began his career with the Pirates and now, he’s back to the NL Central.
Jameson Taillon was selected by the Pirates in the first round of the 2010 draft and made his MLB debut in 2016. From 2016 to 2019, he threw 466 innings for the Pirates. However, Taillon missed the entire 2020 season because he was recovering from the Tommy John surgery. In January 2021, he was traded to the Yankees. He owned a 4.30 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in 144.1 innings in 2021. Last year, he made 32 starts for the Yankees, posting a 3.91 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over 177.1 innings.
Looking at Taillon’s numbers with the Yankees, I was just wondering whether he would be the ace of the Cubs in 2023.
In 2022, Marcus Stroman made 25 starts and led the Cubs with 138.2 innings. So, it’s fair to call him the ace of the Cubs. Stroman owned a 3.50 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Moreover, opponents hit .234 against Stroman. However, Stroman did miss some playing time during the regular season due to injuries.
In the meantime, Taillon punched out 151 batters and opponents batted .246 against him. Last year, Taillon did earn more wins than Stroman. Additionally, Taillon’s WHIP was slightly lower than Stroman’s WHIP. Nonetheless, Stroman’s ERA was lower than Taillon’s ERA. Well, these two pitchers’ stats are similar.
Finally, let’s take a look at Taillon’s performance against NL Central teams. He only made 1 start against the Pirates, but unfortunately, he gave up 2 home runs in 5.1 innings. Moreover, he made 9 starts against the Cardinals and pitched well. Among those 9 starts, Taillon owned a 3.15 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP over 54.1 innings. Furthermore, he made 11 starts against the Brewers. Over 58.1 innings, he had a 3.55 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. However, he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings against the Brewers last season. Additionally, Taillon made 13 starts against the Reds. He tossed a shutout against the Reds in 2018 and that’s the only shutout so far in his career. Nonetheless, he hasn’t pitched against the Reds for a while. The last time that Taillon faced the Reds was in 2019.
Jameson Taillon’s career hasn’t been easy. He underwent Tommy John surgery twice. Thankfully, he stayed healthy in the entire 2022 season and became an important part of the Yankees rotation. He became a free agent and eventually, he signed a multi-year deal with the Cubs. Previously, he pitched for the Pirates and he already showed that he’s a reliable option in the rotation. No one from the Cubs rotation ate more than 150 innings last year. Taillon tossed 144.1 innings for the Yankees in 2021 and threw 177.1 innings last year. If he stays healthy, he should be a reliable pitcher and adding an established pitcher will surely enhance the Cubs rotation.
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