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Let me once again shout from the mountaintops, the Cubs are developing pitchers and it is awesome. While the past couple of years have been frustrating for fans watching the MLB team, the organization’s pitching infrastructure has been hard at work cultivating the young arms in the minor league system. Right-hander Cam Sanders is the latest example of the Cubs maximizing someone’s talent.
Sanders, now 26, was a 12th-round pick by the Cubs in 2018 out of LSU. He was really good in 2019, posting a 2.94 ERA in 21 starts at A-Ball in South Bend, but following 2020, in which the minor league season was canceled, Sanders struggled at Double-A in 2021 and spent most of the 2022 season in the starting rotation for the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A. However, at the end of July the Cubs decided to move Sanders to the bullpen on a full-time basis.
From July 31 through the end of the season, Sanders posted a 3.64 ERA, allowing 12 earned runs in 29.2 innings. Five of those 12 runs were charged to him in one relief appearance. Sanders struck out 34 batters, but did struggle at times with his command, walking 16 in his 17 bullpen outings. That’s really the only true concern with him, as is with most pitchers looking to break into the majors.
But Sanders has shown that he has MLB stuff. He’s nasty and that was on full display Friday night, when he was one of seven Cubs pitchers to combine to throw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres.
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His second strikeout was flat out filthy against a left-handed batter.
Sanders can light up the radar gun in the upper 90s and he was also nasty in his spring debut earlier this week.
Sanders also features a nasty splitter.
The Cubs may not start the season with the flashiest bullpen at least on paper, but throughout the season they are going to have plenty of guys to turn to from the minors to come in and immediately be difference-makers. Sanders is in that category and although he may not be on the Opening Day roster, I think it’s a safe bet that we’ll be seeing him pitch in the majors for the Cubs in 2023.
Sanders also has a great presence on the mound. We’ve seen a few pitchers look slightly uncomfortable with the new pitch-clock rules early on in spring training, but most of the prospects who had it in 2022 in the minors, are already used to it. Not only does Sanders look in complete control on the mound, it seems like he uses the quicker pace to his advantage.
High velocity, a lot of spin and an aggressive mindset on the mound. Nice combo for Cam Sanders and the Cubs. He’s not on the team’s 40-man roster, but Sanders could be a dark horse candidate to be in the Opening Day roster if the nastiness continues this month.
