Chicago Cubs Season in Review: Drew Smyly

Drew Smyly had a huge bounce back year with the Chicago Cubs in 2022, and now seems poised to return to Wrigley in 2023.

Author:
Payton Havermann
Publish date:
Oct 19, 2022 8:40 PM EDT

In this story:

Chicago Cubs

Entering spring training in 2022, the Chicago Cubs still needed another reliable starting arm. With Marcus Stroman, Wade Miley, Kyle Hendricks, and Justin Steele as the only penciled-in starters to begin the season, the Cubs decided it would be best to bring in a stable veteran presence for the end of the rotation, leading to the signing of Drew Smyly who'd come off a rocky 2021 with the Braves.

Chicago's gamble on Smyly wound up paying off in spades. The lefty was one of many Cubs arms that had a big year on the northside. The 33-year-old was as stable as one could hope from a back-of-the-rotation arm, putting up a 3.47 ERA over 106.1 innings.

Smyly did miss just over a month with an oblique injury but was otherwise a steady presence in the rotation. The Little Rock native walked just 5.8% of the batters he faced this season and was in the 69th percentile for hard hit percentage according to baseball savant.

When healthy, the former Arkansas Razorback was one of the Cubs' most consistent pitchers, getting particularly hot down the stretch. From August until the end of the season, Smyly made nine starts, going five or more innings in all but his last outing. The lefty struck out 22.5% of the batters he faced and pitched to the tune of a 2.28 ERA over the nine-game stretch while opponents hit just .205 against him.

While it's obviously unlikely for Smyly to keep up that torrid pace, it does help add to the case that the 33-year-old can be a viable option in the rotation for a team looking to compete, and evidently, the Cubs agree as Chicago and Smyly evidently have mutual interest in a 2023 reunion. The lefty had a 10-million dollar mutual option, but it's more likely the sides will look to iron out a new deal according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Maddie Lee.

Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer has stressed the importance of spending intelligently and bringing Smyly back after the season he had for an affordable cost fits that philosophy. Bringing back the 33-year-old for a spot near the end of the rotation is a smart move to keep the pitching staff stable while also not keeping the team from going big-game hunting in free agency.

Final Grade: B+