You probably rolled your eyes when you read the word “optimism” in the title because the Cubs seem to be be choosing pitchers more on the price tag than the stat line. Seriously, though, I genuinely think righty Kohl Stewart, who was just signed to a rare MLB deal, will be a fun pitcher to monitor once spring training begins. He’s got legit “stuff.”
Just because the Cubs refuse to invest in expensive starting pitching doesn’t mean Stewart isn’t an interesting pick-up in a vacuum. In 2017, FanGraphs respectively graded Stewart’s fastball, slider, and curve as 60, 55, and 55 on the 20-80 scouting scale.