Cubs Pitcher Of the Month: August 2024

What got into the Cubs in August?  Pennant race, anyone?  I know it's a tad optimistic, but it is nice to see some good pitching, even some great pitching performances for the Northsiders.  

Honorable Mentions
Nate Pearson has been a surprise addition, but perhaps not shocking for those who know his history.  Pearson peaked as a top ten prospect for the Blue Jays before injuries and ineffectiveness led the Jays to offload him before making a decision on whether or not to accept his final two arbitration years.  In August, Pearson showed no issues whatsoever.  In seven outings, he tallied 12 strikeouts in his 12 innings pithed.  His WHIP was stellar at 0.75.  Pearson could be one of those 2024 Jed Hoyer trash heap finds that make a huge difference the rest of the way.  Hopefully, he can maintain this into next season as his contract surely will be retained.  Best case scenario?  See Jeff Hoffman this year for the Phillies, similar trajectories and possibly a similar payoff.

Javier Assad is not going to go deep into games.  He only averages five innings per start.  He will not pitch with pinpoint control;  his WHIP for August is at 1.30.  What he will do is compete at all times and do whatever he can to keep the Cubs in games.  He's not an ace;  he's a back end starter who you certainly could do worse than.  He needs mention here as Cub fans need to appreciate what he is, and not focus on what he isn't.

Justin Steele keeps getting mentioned here, and with good reason.  3-0 in August with a 2.03 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 25 innings get you noticed.  He may be in consideration for some more top 5 Cy Young votes this year, as he did in 2023.  Nationally, he's not treated as a bona fide ace because he came to the majors without a high level pedigree.  However, this is a 99 percentile outcome for any prospect.  He is simply a great starter. They did it!  They developed a home grown pitcher who matches up with anyone. 

The August Cubs Pitcher Of The Month
Porter Hodge is the name to focus on for August this year.  In the month, he pitched 12 innings of 1.50 ERA baseball with a 0.92 WHIP.  The strikeout rate was obscene;  anyone would love to strike out 18 batters for every 12 innings pitched.  He notched two saves as well.  Hodge developing into a bona fide weapon in the bullpen is the biggest development for the pitching staff this month, and for that reason he gets the glow up here.

Hodge came up as a 13th round pick and a starting pitcher.  The burly hurler clocks in at 6-4, 230;  he fits the part physically.  Hodge did not last as a starter, and in 2023 at Tennessee, he finally made the switch to the pen.  This year, he road the Des Moines shuffle two times before cementing himself as the 8th inning pitcher of choice for Craig Counsell.   

The development of Hodge could allow the Cubs to spend intelligently on the bullpen again this offseason (I mean by this going cheap for reclamation projects) because they have this guy as the rock at the end of the bullpen.  His August has been eye opening.  Wake me up when September ends, Billie Joe. That will tell a more true picture of what the Cubs can expect from Porter next season.