Porter Hodge

After pitching as both a starter and reliever in 2023, Hodge's role wasn't clear at the dawn of the 2024 campaign. The 23-year-old didn't break camp with Chicago, but showcased his strikeout upside in the minors to earn his first big league promotion in May. He'd eventually return to Triple-A Iowa, but was back up for good in mid-June. Hodge mixed a mid-90's fastball with a devastating sweeper that stifled opposing hitters (.070 BAA) and produced a 52 percent whiff rate that was best in the league for that pitch type and had 16.7 inches of horizontal break, roughly three inches more on average than other right-handers. The right-hander will need to improve his control and cut his 11.6 percent walk rate, but he proved last season that he can be a fixture for the Cubs in high leverage. He appeared set to begin 2025 as Chicago's closer after filling the role down the stretch last year, but the offseason acquisition of Ryan Pressly will likely push Hodge into more of a setup role.