Javier Assad was uncertain about his status with the major league roster for the Chicago Cubs heading into 2024. The Mexican-born right-hander had produced in a flex starter-reliever status in seasons past but hadn’t been trusted with a full-fledged spot in the starting rotation. With spring training injuries to incumbent Jameson Taillon and candidate Caleb Kilian, opportunities were created for Javier Assad to jump into the Chicago Cubs starting rotation in 2024.
Assad didn’t have any exceptional qualities coming into the year, which were factors that had kept him out of consideration for promotions in previous years. The set of circumstances that preceded the start to the 2024 regular season, however, led to the scenario where Javier Assad got the perfect opportunity to jump into a premier spot in the Chicago pitching staff. Assad took full advantage and proved to be an above average starting pitcher that the Chicago Cubs utilized in the middle of their rotation.
Pressed Into Action
Coming into the year, Javier Assad was not expected to be a major contributor to the starting rotation for the Chicago Cubs. The 27-year-old right-hander had bounced between the minor leagues and the major league roster, and even when he was with the Chicago Cubs, he had been oscillating between the bullpen and spot starts in the rotation. Nothing before this year would give Craig Counsell the assurance that Assad could be trusted with a permanent spot in the starting rotation.
With a combination of injuries that occurred in spring training, Counsell opted to go with Assad as a temporary fix to plug a hole in the starting rotation and hold the fort down until Jameson Taillon returned from the IL. Javier Assad would not look back, however, after being granted the opportunity to have a regular slot in the starting pitching staff. The Mexican-born right-hander took the chance and didn’t look back.
Settling In
Assad started the year with a fierce consistency that kept the Chicago Cubs in ball games and cemented his status as a reliable starting pitcher. For his first ten outings of 2024, Javier Assad allowed two or fewer earned runs while amassing a 4-0 record with a 1.70 ERA. By the time Jameson Taillon came off the IL, it would’ve been malpractice to remove Assad from the rotation, and Assad was there to stay.
Using crafty creativity and unpredictability with his six-pitch mix, Assad kept hitters off balance and made them respect all of his weapons, inducing plenty of weak contact and confused swings. Batters might’ve had some experience dealing with Assad as a Cub, but they hadn’t seen him as a consistent player in the rotation and one given the autonomy to define his own game on his own terms. In his first full season as a starter, Assad didn’t waste his chance to make a mark on the north side of Chicago.
Slight Delay
Once Assad had established himself as a member of the Chicago Cubs pitching staff, not only had he made a round around the league and proven himself against major league hitters, but they had begun to take him seriously and made legitimate adjustments on par with a big-time starter. Assad had to adjust to a game based on adjustments. Inconsistent outings and flirtations with the IL marred his post-establishment period in 2024.
Assad had flourished by stranding runners on base and evading situations where opponents had opportunities to score. As the season progressed, teams were able to cobble together more at-bats with runners in scoring positions, and Assad became more susceptible to these situations. After such a strong start to 2024, it was inevitable that he was going to come back to earth, and his reversal to the mean came with a trip to the IL via a right forearm strain.
Looking Ahead for the Chicago Cubs
Once Assad rejoined the Chicago Cubs starting rotation, he picked up where he left off and maintained his place on the staff going forward. He was successful until his final outing against Philadelphia when the Cubs were out of the playoff chase. Although Chicago missed out on October baseball, they can take a saving grace because they discovered a high-quality starting pitcher to tout in their starting rotation moving forward.
In 2024, Javier Assad flaunted a 7-6 record with a 3.73 ERA and 1.6 WAR over 147 innings in 29 starts. After battling to maintain a foothold on the major league roster in 2022 and 2023, Assad assumed a full-time role in 2024. He validated his status with a performance that sets him up for an earned spot in the 2025 Chicago Cubs starting rotation. Assad can tinker with pitch selection and usage going forward, but he is much of a known quantity for the Chicago pitching staff. He will be counted on for a sizable role next year in the hope that he can help deliver the Cubs to October baseball in 2025.
Javier Assad has made tremendous strides in his career since being signed as an international free agent by the Chicago Cubs a decade ago. Once in the spotlight of the major league club, he did not falter and ascended from a fringe major leaguer to a go-between with the bullpen and the starting rotation to one of the most important pitchers in the entire Cubs organization. Looking ahead to 2025, Javier Assad portends to batten down the bottom part of the Chicago rotation and make the unit one of the best staffs in the National League, irrespective of what happens to Jameson Taillon.
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