(670 The Score) As the Cubs’ ace and one of three players left from the 2016 championship team, right-hander Kyle Hendricks holds himself to the highest of standards.
In the 2021 season, he was unsatisfied with his performance, as he posted career-worst marks with a 4.77 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 181 innings across 32 starts. Hendricks also knew the exact source of his struggles.
“Last year my pitches were so flat and hung over the plate,” Hendricks said. “So my focus again is trying to find angles down in the zone and much better fastball command – just back to my staples.
"I certainly still have the confidence in who I am as a pitcher and what I rely on. I had to evaluate where I was last year and understand that my success was not there because I was way up in the zone and didn't use my fastball enough. Again, this offseason my work was about getting way down in the zone with movement, and hopefully the work will help me establish my fastball early in the season.”
Hendricks, 32, threw a live side session Monday with Cubs first baseman Frank Schwindel and infielder Patrick Wisdom taking rips. Hendricks will be counted on to lead a Cubs starting rotation that had a bad 2021, posting a 5.27 ERA that ranked 27th in MLB.
“I felt really good mentally and concentrated on not moving too quickly (keeping his arm and body balanced over the pitching rubber),” Hendricks said. “We need to set a better tone as pitchers this year. With some of the new guys, I think we will regain that competitive edge this season.”
Cubs manager David Ross agreed with Hendricks’ assessment of how he can author a turnaround.
“Kyle certainly knows himself better than anybody,” Ross said. “When he attacks hitters and understands his own strengths and weaknesses, I think that's a powerful thing. As an example, Jon Lester was a really good pitcher. But he – like any other starter – might fall in love with one pitch. In his case, it was the cut fastball. So like Jon, Kyle might have fallen into that, which takes the value of the pitch down. To hone in on your strengths, if you are a changeup guy, the fastball will make the changeup that much better. We all can overthink things as players. Sometimes it takes a little break to get a reset.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.