Chicago Cubs Season in Review: Scott Effross

Scott Effross emerged as an unheralded reliever with the post-trade deadline Chicago Cubs in 2021, but became perhaps the Cubs most effective relief pitcher in 2022.

Author:
Payton Havermann
Publish date:
Nov 11, 2022 7:28 PM EST

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Chicago Cubs

After a promising 2021 season for at-the-time Chicago Cubs reliever Scott Effross, the righty entered the 2022 campaign not yet as a go-to weapon, but still as a reliable option out of the bullpen for Cubs manager David Ross. Quickly, however, Effross climbed up the ladder of trust for Chicago's skipper.

The righty appeared in 47 games with the Cubs in 2022, and had an ERA of just 2.66, becoming the go-to "stopper" out of the bullpen. Effross also had a FIP of just 2.18 and rarely got burned by the long ball with Chicago (0.4 HR/9), struck out a solid 27.1% of the batters he faced in 2022, and walked just 2.4 batters per nine innings.

The former Indiana Hoosier's sinker and slider combo also helped him get groundballs at a high rate, making him a reliable choice whenever one was needed to get out of a jam. All of this, along with the fact that he had five years of club control remaining, made it seem as though Effross would be a fixture of the Cubs bullpen for years to come.

But shockingly enough, the righty was traded to the New York Yankees at the trade deadline, one of four relievers the Cubs moved, but the only one with multiple years of control. It was a puzzling move at the time but it makes more sense with the benefit of hindsight.

Chicago has become much better at developing its pitching, particularly in the bullpen, and Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer stated that he hoped to build a bullpen from within the organization. With so many promising bullpen arms making their way up through the organization, it makes sense that the team sold high on Effross, getting starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski in return.

Wesneski impressed in his six major league appearances with Chicago, holding an ERA of 2.18 in 33.0 innings, and perhaps emerging as an option for the rotation in 2023. Effross, meanwhile had a 2.13 ERA in his first 13 games in the Bronx before going down with an injury. The righty unfortunately was deemed to need Tommy John surgery and will miss much of 2023. When healthy, however, Effross was as reliable as it got.

Final Grade: A