Whenever the Cubs sign a non-drafted free agent, the last couple of years, they attended to stay on the Pitching side of things in 2022 in 2023. All four guys were pictures. This year is unclear what the role of Kenton Egbert is going to be. He was a star in college at Miami for four years. But I am wondering if the Cubs think that his stuff might play up coming out of the bullpen. Considering that the Cubs have four players coming back from Tommy John surgery from last year’s draft class, reliever roll might be in the cards.

Or not…

Basic Information

Age – 22
Height – 6-3
Weight – 205lb 
Throws – Right
From – Tipp City, OH
Signed as a NDFA out of Miami OH

If you look at Egbert’s career, he really didn’t become a full-time starter until 2022. He appeared in four games in 2020 as a freshman reliever. His struck out 8 in 10 innings.

As a sophomore, he had his best season with a 1.51 ERA in 13 games. He made three starts and pitched a total of 35.2 innings and struck out 33. His amazing season did not stop there as he went and played in the Northwoods, a collegiate wooden bat league, where he had a 4.43 ERA as a starter.

He returned to Miami in 2022 for his junior season. He struck out 50 in 41.2 innings, mostly in relief. But he struggled getting outs. His ERA was over six. He did not play in a major summer league. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t continue to work at getting better.

His senior season is the one that got him drafted. He worked mostly as a starter getting in 75 innings and he struck out 90. He only walked 29 and had an ERA of 3.96. He also made All-Mid American Conference first team as a starting pitcher.

The Cubs are likely to get Egbert to work on a few things this winter.

Depending on the shapes of his pitches, the Cubs may suggest different grips or a different arm slot. They’re definitely gonna work on building muscle and velocity. But Egbert already throws in the low to mid 90s. He has stuff that commits bats. It’s just a matter of him finding the zone more frequently and having a variety of pitches that he can get by hitters. Because one thing seems to be clear is that he missed a lot of bats, but he also got hit a lot. It’s a weird combination which tells you that he’s got a plus pitch in there someplace but he needs more than that.

And that’s what the Cubs are going to work on between now and April.