(670 The Score) The Cubs added right-hander Jameson Taillon on a four-year, $68-million contract this offseason because of his track record of solid performance, but he believes he’s still only scratching the surface of what he can accomplish.
The 31-year-old Taillon thinks he can ascend to a much higher level.
“I have this sincere feeling that I have more to offer,” Taillon said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Thursday afternoon. “I feel like I have another gear that I should be capable of hitting. And I felt like the best way to achieve that was like one, to get on board with a good organization like the Cubs with good pitching coaches and a good pitching department and a good catching situation and a good defense. It checks a lot of the boxes for me.”
Taillon was 14-5 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 177 1/3 innings across 32 starts for the Yankees in 2022. He pitched to contact often in striking out just 7.7 batters per nine innings, but he kept his free passes to a minimum, walking just 1.6 batters per nine innings this past season. Taillon posted a 4.08 ERA in 61 starts across two years in New York.
And what does reaching the next level look like for Taillon?
“I feel like I got a nice foundation and a nice base under me,” Taillon said. “I know how to go out there, take the ball every fifth day and compete at the big league level. But that being said, I think sometimes the longer you’ve played in the big leagues, the more you just get kind of cast into you are who you are. You’re going to be who you are, we’re not going to improve that. And I just don’t really fully believe in that. Like, I don’t think I’m a finished product. I might be 31 years old, but I just don’t believe that. I’m not content with having 170 innings and a 3.90 ERA. I think I have more to offer, and I’m willing to put in the work to find that, to reach that next level.”
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