Jameson Taillon hasn’t exactly set the world on fire during Spring Training during his time with the Chicago Cubs. Last year the veteran had a 6.75 ERA over three starts, but this year the results have even worse. After giving up 10 earned runs during an outing on March 15, his ERA sky rocketed to 22.18, but also has outings of four, three, and six earned runs.
Perhaps the only real bright spot for Taillon this spring came during his appearance in the World Baseball Classic. Pitching for Team Canada, he tossed 3.2 innings and allowed just one earned run. Still, the overall results this spring have been troubling enough to give the Cubs legitimate reason for concern.
Jameson Taillon is giving the Chicago Cubs a growing reason to worry
Against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 15, Taillon surrendered a pair of home runs on his cutter. He told the Chicago Sun-Times the pitch had “not a ton of deception there,” calling it “a disappointing setback.”
Interestingly, Statcast showed the pitch’s vertical and horizontal break were roughly in line with last year’s averages, but his sweeper, changeup, and sinker all showed noticeably less movement. Velocity wise, his heater was down almost a whole one mile per hour compared to normal.
With decreased velocity and a lack of deception and movement on several pitches, particularly in terms of horizontal break, the Cubs have reason to be concerned about their projected No. 5 starter. At 34, a dip in velocity wouldn’t be unusual, but it’s clear he’s still searching for a consistent feel for his pitches. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, minor mechanical tweaks are already in the works as he tries to get back on track.
The good news? If Taillon falters, the Cubs have other options to turn to in Colin Rea, Javier Assad, and Ben Brown, all of whom could step in if Taillon needs more time to sort things out. Whether that means an IL stint or a move to the bullpen, something uncommon for him, the reality is that if these results continue over the next two weeks, the Cubs may need to pivot from their projected starting rotation plans.
Chicago Cubs: Could Ben Brown be taking Jameson Taillon’s spot?
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