Brett Anderson wins spot in Cubs' starting rotation
The Chicago Cubs' rotation to begin the 2017 regular season is set, with manager Joe Maddon announcing Thursday that left-hander Brett Anderson won a spot, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
Anderson will slot into the fourth spot behind Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, and John Lackey, Maddon said, leaving Major League Baseball's ERA leader from 2016, Kyle Hendricks, in the fifth spot.
Starting rotation
| ORDER | PLAYER | THROWS | W-L | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Lester | L | 19-5 | 2.44 | 1.02 |
| 2 | Jake Arrieta | R | 18-8 | 3.10 | 1.08 |
| 3 | John Lackey | R | 11-8 | 3.35 | 1.06 |
| 4 | Brett Anderson | L | 1-2 | 11.91 | 2.56 |
| 5 | Kyle Hendricks | R | 16-8 | 2.13 | 0.98 |
Maddon said he went with Anderson in the four spot to give the rotation a more balanced approach.
"Everybody's always concerned about pecking order regarding who you perceive to be best or least best," he explained. "It's just more or less balancing it out. I don't even know how important that is either. Some teams only have righties - you see righty, righty. Is that a benefit to the other side? I don't know. We're just going to do that to break it up a little bit."
The 29-year-old contended with fellow southpaw Mike Montgomery for the final spot in the rotation after signing a one-year contract with the club at the end of January.
Spring stats
| PLAYER | G | GS | IP | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Anderson | 5 | 2 | 11.1 | 7.15 | 9 |
| Mike Montgomery | 5 | 4 | 10 | 4.50 | 13 |
Anderson missed all but four appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 due to issues with his back and wrist, as well as a blister problem late in the season.
Over his eight-year career, he owns a 38-43 record with a 3.86 ERA while playing for the Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, and Colorado Rockies.