Inside The Cubs

Could Chicago Cubs' Lefty Be Emerging As Bullpen Arm?

With another scoreless outing on Wednesday, Ryan Borucki is emerging as a capable left-handed bullpen arm for the Chicago Cubs.

Ryan Sikes

Could Chicago Cubs' Lefty Be Emerging As Bullpen Arm?
Could Chicago Cubs' Lefty Be Emerging As Bullpen Arm? /
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The Chicago Cubs may have found their left-handed bullpen arm.

The talk leading up to Spring Training was that the team would consider adding another lefty reliever to the mix. After all, Brandon Hughes is the only southpaw projected to make the Opening Day roster. 

He's also been dealing with knee inflammation throughout the majority of camp.

Enter Ryan Borucki.

The 28-year-old was inked to a subtle minor league deal in early January after spending last season split between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. Coming up through the minors as a starting pitcher, a bone spur limited him to just two starts during the 2019 season.

During the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Borucki shined in a bullpen role, posting a 2.70 ERA in 21 outings, fanning 21 batters in only 13.2 innings of work. Since then, he's experienced mixed results.

However, he's quietly been one of the most surprising arms in manager Davis Ross' bullpen this spring.

In seven outings, Borucki has struck out 13 batters in 7.2 innings to go along with a 0.91 WHIP and a .172 average. 

In his latest outing on Wednesday, the lefty made quick work of the Athletics, striking out the first batter and walking the second before getting the next two to ground out.

Borucki relies on three pitches, going heavy on his fastball. When his slider is on, this pitch is one of his best weapons, as observed in 2020. 

Utilizing his slider approximately 38 percent of the time, he held opposing batters to an incredible .077 average.

His slider continued to be one of his best pitches in 2021, but hitters saw better results last year, yielding a .242 average against and five of the six home runs coming off his slider.

Perhaps it's a matter where the Cubs feel they can get him in their pitch lab and make the necessary changes so he can be a useful bullpen arm. Their recent track record with relievers suggests that it is achievable.

He's also been really good against lefties in his career (.204/.285/.288). Borucki might just have role on this club after all.

Of course, the white elephant in the room is that Borucki is not currently on the 40-man roster, which means the front office would need to make a corresponding move. Something to keep close tabs on as the exhibition schedule draws to a close.

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Ryan Sikes
RYAN SIKES

Ryan is a Chicago Cubs writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside The Cubs, an IBWAA member, and has followed the Cubs since the mid-1990s. He grew up in the Rockford area and used to attend a handful of games every summer at Wrigley Field, including Aramis Ramirez's walkoff home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007 after the Cubs trailed 5-0.He attended the University of Iowa and currently resides in the western suburbs. In addition to covering the Cubs, he covers the USHL for FloHockey and NCAA hockey for College Hockey News. When he's not writing or watching sports, he enjoys hanging out with his wife and three kids.

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