The Chicago Cubs are about to open a season in which hope can be felt in the air.
They have revamped their roster with good players across the diamond, they got a few prospects a couple of years ago in their trading spree, and they can actually dream about making the postseason as a Wild Card.
They are not favorites to advance, but there is a chance and that hasn’t been the case in the last couple of seasons.
To get them started on the right foot, the Cubs are sending Marcus Stroman to the hill on Opening Day.
The club made the announcement in a really cool and clever way.
“Str0pening” Day is almost upon us, and the pitcher is “beyond thankful” for the chance.
Next starts on @STR0-Penning Day.#NextStartsHere pic.twitter.com/pA4cBVOhPk
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 24, 2023
Stroman is the right choice as the leader of a talented, but inexperienced group.
Jameson Taillon and Drew Smyly are also veterans, but Justin Steele and Hayden Wesneski don’t have a lot of time on their MLB resumes.
Stroman, a groundball pitcher, has recently incorporated an effective changeup to his arsenal, and he has gotten excellent results with it.
Last year, he made 25 starts and covered 138.2 innings.
He posted a cool 3.50 ERA that certifies his status as the staff ace for the time being.
He doesn’t have the strikeout rate of a traditional frontline starter, but gets the job done anyway.
The Cubs will be relying on him on Opening Day and every five days after that.
They need him healthy and rolling to have a chance to make the playoffs in the NL Central.
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