With Ethan Roberts and Gavin Hollowell demoted, the final bullpen battle intensifies between two promising arms. Who will secure the last spot?
The Chicago Cubs went through another round of roster cuts on Friday afternoon.
The Cubs optioned both Ethan Roberts and Gavin Hollowell to Triple-A ahead of their Spring Training game against the Reds. Both Roberts and Hollowell were among the few remaining relievers fighting for that last bullpen spot.
Both pitchers did all they could to make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster. Roberts and Hollowell both pitched well throughout the spring, and each of them pitched their way into earning a roster spot out of camp.
Roberts allowed just one run across six innings pitched (1.50 ERA). He gave up just three hits with two walks and four strikeouts in his six relief appearances. His metrics this spring also backed up his solid numbers.
The right-hander had an elite 113 psStuff+ with a 6.2% barrel rate, an 87 mph average exit velocity, a 37.5% hard-hit rate, and a 51.1% zone-swing rate. However, his downfall was his limited swing-and-miss stuff.
Roberts only had a 15.2% whiff rate, a 21.7% chase rate, and an 18.2% strikeout rate in those six innings pitched. The Cubs couldn’t rely on him to be a part of their bullpen to start the season with a low whiff rate and strikeout rate.
As for Hollowell, he displayed that swing-and-miss stuff throughout the spring. He struck out 12 batters across 27 batters faced and had an elite 44.4% strikeout rate. The 28-year-old also posted a solid 32.7% chase rate and a 26.4% whiff rate.
The problem for Hollowell, though, was the amount of hard contact he was giving up. Opposing hitters had a 99.7 mph average exit velocity and a 69.2% hard-hit rate against Hollowell in those seven games.
Sending down both Hollowell and Roberts clears up the competition for the last bullpen spot. That last spot in the bullpen now comes down to Javier Assad or Ben Brown. There is a real argument to be made for both Assad and Brown to make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster.
Assad has been extremely consistent since making his Major League debut in 2022. He has a career 3.43 ERA and 271 strikeouts across 331 innings pitched and has been solid in his limited work in the bullpen. He has a 3.05 ERA and a 22.1% strikeout rate across 59 relief appearances.
Then, there’s Brown. Although he has struggled with consistency throughout his Major League career, he has looked really sharp on the mound this spring. He has a 0% barrel rate, a 33.3% hard-hit rate, a 33.3% strikeout rate, and a 34.9% whiff rate.
So, it’ll come down to either Assad or Brown for that final bullpen spot.