The 2011 season was basically a “make or break” type of season for Jeff Samardzija. And he rose to the occasion.
For the first time in his career, Samardzija was kept in the same role and found a sense of stability, sticking with the Cubs all year. Despite a rash of pitching injuries, which led to the likes of Doug Davis and Ramon Ortiz finding starts in the rotation, Shark spent his entire season in the bullpen, and found great success.
His numbers for the season were very easily the best of his career. He gradually improved as the year went on, with his development finally showing, as he continued to develop multiple pitches and harness those pitches.
After a couple of years that he really couldn’t find his niche and stick in Chicago, Samardzija put up career numbers. His ERA was a strong 2.97, with 87 strikeouts and a 1.30 WHIP in 88 innings. Those were numbers that steadily improved as the season went on, as he had 16 walks in the second half of the season, com...
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