With the Chicago Cubs searching for a reliable closer, they might look to move one of their star prospects into that role.
They are 4-6 over their last 10 games and now sit just four clear of .500 and two back from the NL Central lead. Their offense has become a major concern, ranking sixth-worst in wRC+ with a figure of 90 since May 6 that measures weighted runs created.
Injuries to Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson certainly haven't helped, but it seems like they're going to get their Gold Glove winning shortstop back forIn the midst of this losing stretch, the Cubs haven't had many leads in close games where they've had to rely on a closer to shut out the other team. The last time one of their relievers picked up a save was back on May 12 when the now injured Adbert Alzolay recorded a save despite being previously demoted from that role.
The 24-year-old was ranked as No. 8 in their pipeline last year, and after getting called up on March 30, he's been used within their rotation and out of the bullpen. It's been a successful showing for the rookie so far with a 3.57 ERA across 11 appearances and four starts, striking out 39 over 35 1/3 innings.
Taylor points out a couple different reasons why Chicago might not want to make him their closer, though. One, he's still unproven and it's unknown if he'd be able to appear in high leverage spots in back-to-back games. That would be a major issue for the Cubs if they can't rely one singular guy to close out their opponent.
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