Without a significant (i.e. sure-fire, high-upside) investment in the rotation this offseason, the Cubs front office if banking heavily on the one definite rotation member they did sign, Matthew Boyd.
Despite making a total of just 23 starts over the last three seasons, Boyd, 34, was able to secure a significant big-league deal with the Cubs (two years, $29M). And the Cubs, in turn, are clearly banking on his ability to repeat the success of the eight (late-season) starts he made in 2024, which were admittedly fantastic: 2.72 ERA, 27.7 K%, 7.8 BB%.
So, knowing how important Matthew Boyd is to the Cubs’ chances this season, I thought you might find this deep dive on Boyd from Sahadev Sharma at The Athletic pretty interesting.
Matthew Boyd Deep Dive
There is a whole lot of goodness in that article, but of particular note was how certain efforts with the changeup may have led not only to a reduction in his overall performance but also to the first major injury of Matthew Boyd’s career.
“I went into the lab with Driveline,” Boyd said. “The clear goal in mind was turning over a changeup…”
By the end of 2021, Boyd had to undergo flexor tendon surgery. Less than two years later, the ligament in his elbow tore and he needed Tommy John surgery. Boyd has no ill will toward anyone when it comes to the injury, but he correlates the issues to a changeup that required him to pronate. It also led his other pitches to be less effective.
“(I) lost what really made me unique,” Boyd said. “I lost the shape on my fastball, how it uniquely enters the zone. I lost the feel on my slider because I was doing something different with my changeup. Even though they’re two different pitches, it’s an ecosystem.”
It’s a good reminder, I suppose, of why messing with pitchers to get the best out of them is not always the right thing to do, even with the purest of intentions (it reminds me of the Cubs’ ill-fated efforts to change Starlin Castro into more of a power hitter).
© David Richard-Imagn ImagesThe good news is that Matthew Boyd now throws an entirely different sort of changeup (in terms of his release and positioning) that not only reduces the risk of injury, but should be more effective alongside his other pitches. Boyd gets into all of that (and more) at The Athletic. You should definitely check it out. Boyd sounds like a really cerebral pitcher, who has a great understanding of how his “ecosystem” works together. I think I just got a little more optimistic on his chances to produce from the middle of the rotation this season.
For what it’s worth, ZiPS is projecting the following season for Matthew Boyd: 3.62 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate, 3.68 FIP, 1.1 HR/9. Understandable, ZiPS is not projecting a fulls season of work from Boyd (13 projected starts), and the Cubs are obviously hoping for more than that. But if that is ultimately where his ERA/rate stats end up, the Cubs will be very happy with year one.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Must-Read on Matthew Boyd: The Change That Derailed His Career and How He’s Adjusted )
Also on site :
- Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff LIVE: UK start time, schedule, location and how to watch French Open final
- Max lights it up as Hanger-7 re-opening celebration
- Coco Gauff left Aryna Sabalenka in tears before breaking her own crying rule as pair renew rivalry at French Open