Matthew Boyd's All-Star Nod Rewards a Journey of Grit and Redemption

[Andrew Wright]

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images

To be completely honest, the eyes of many Cubs fans rolled to the back of their head during the offseason when they got the notification that Chicago inked left-hander Matthew Boyd to a two-year deal worth $29 million. Even here at North Side Baseball, some of the reactions were less than enthusiastic.

It certainly wasn't the splashy move (Corbin Burnes or Roki Sasaki, for instance) that many had hoped for, and at the time, it was easy to understand the frustration associated with (seemingly) choosing a lower-wattage option over the top-tier star yet again. The doubtful fans are rejoicing now, however, as Boyd has nearly carried the pitching staff on his back. For his efforts, he was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in an 11-year career.

Boyd was announced as a reserve just a couple of hours before his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball, and he promptly showed a national audience why he was an appropriate selection for the game. He threw five shutout innings with nine strikeouts in Chicago's 11-0 win in the rubber match of the series. The win improved his season record to 9-3 and lowered his season ERA to 2.52, both good for top 10 in the league. 

Chicago is, surprisingly, not great (10-8) in games started by Boyd this season, so he could easily be better than 9-3 on the season. At home, though, Boyd has been dominant, with an 8-0 record and 2.21 ERA across nine starts and 53 innings pitched. His selection to the All-Star Game is a testament to the outstanding work he's done in the rotation for most of the season without both Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga, and Boyd made it known how grateful he was for the opportunity.

Not only is Boyd's selection to the All-Star Game a testament to himself, but also to Jed Hoyer and company, for spotting Boyd's value and signing him to what looks like one of the best contracts of the entire offseason. It was one of several (Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, etc.) moves from Hoyer that have helped Chicago get to 54 wins and one of the best records in MLB this season.

If he is able to continue his excellent season, Boyd is well in line to be a key piece in what is looking like a NL Central championship and playoff run in Chicago. Discounting the COVID-wrecked 2020 campaign, this would be the first division title and meaningful playoff appearance for the team since 2017. Boyd, whose last healthy season before this one came in 2019, knows well what a long wait that is.

View full article