NEWSLETTER
How good did Daniel Palencia look yesterday? And the outing before that, when he looked a lot better than the results? And, really, the time before that now that I think of it, when he saved the bullpen for a day? Actually, it occurs to me that Palencia has looked good since he returned from the minor leagues – that’s what those three outings are. They’re his most recent little stretch in the big leagues.
Over them, Palencia has thrown 4.0 innings, allowing one run on two hits and no walks, and struck out six. I don’t want to say that anything magical happened on his demotion to Iowa, but he did have two solid outings down there and returned on a heater.
It’s been clear since last year, when he rose from Double-A to Triple-A to MLB, that Palencia has back-of-the-bullpen type stuff. His fastball, as you saw to finish off yesterday’s win, gets into the triple digits with good movement. His slider, when he has it, is a wipeout pitch.
As is often the case with young relievers of his level of talent, the only question is the control. When Palencia’s got it going, then the results are going to follow. When he doesn’t, he gets himself in trouble, and can’t always get out of it.
“He’s had a couple of very good outings,” Craig Counsell said of Palencia, per The Athletic. “I think for Daniel, it’s on the attack and in the strike zone. It feels like the stuff obviously is good enough to get it; it’s the walks that create traffic. Guys are going to get hits, but walks create the big innings. Staying away from that is going to make him effective.”
Man could the Cubs really, really use that version of Palencia right now. Heck, he’s got a wide open opportunity to win himself some late innings right now, given Julian Merryweather’s injury, Adbert Alzolay’s struggles, and Hector Neris’s high wire act.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens this and next week, as Justin Steele returns, then Kyle Hendricks after him, and then eventually Jordan Wicks. The Cubs will have to make spots available on the pitching staff, and it’s possible they’ll move guys like Ben Brown and Hayden Wesneski into the bullpen, rather than option them to Iowa. If so, Palencia could wind up in a tricky spot, given that he’s one of the few relievers on the team with minor league options available. If he’s not the guy who goes out for Steele tonight, then Palencia could have another week or so to extend this heater and prove himself indispensable when Hendricks and Wicks return.
