4 Cubs players fans are already fed up with in 2024 season

Despite fading down the stretch last season, the Chicago Cubs look to establish themselves as a true National League contender in 2024. The core of the 2023 squad is still together, with the additions of manager Craig Counsell and Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga — a budding star — to offset the loss of right-hander Marcus Stroman.

The club is off to a 26-22 start on the year and is just behind the Milwaukee Brewers in a deep and competitive NL Central. Even with this promising start, here are four players Cubs fans are already fed up with in 2024.

Adbert Alzolay

Adbert Alzolay was solid after taking over as the club’s closer last year, converting 22-25 save opportunities while posting a 2.67 ERA. The Venezuelan hurler has been unable to carry over that success into 2024. Alzolay is just 4-9 in save opportunities this year, with six homers allowed in 17 innings and a walk rate that has increased from 1.8 BB/9 to 3.1 BB/9. His expected ERA of 6.58 (vs. an actual ERA of 4.67) indicates that things could have been even worse for the Venezuelan hurler.

Alzolay is currently on the injured list and Hector Neris has been a strong replacement at closer for the Northsiders, going six for seven so far in cave chances. But Alzolay’s five blown saves in a division as tight as the National League Central could be the difference between first place and another season without a playoff berth.

Miguel Amaya and Yan Gomes

The Cubs have struggled to find consistent production at the catcher spot since the departure of Willson Contreras in 2023. Overall, Cubs catchers are 24th in MLB in WAR this season and neither Miguel Amaya nor Yan Gomes have inspired much confidence this year.

Amaya is batting .181 with an OPS of .528. Gomes is nominally better at .182, though he has an OPS of .497 and 27 strikeouts versus just one walk. Neither has demonstrated consistent defensive skills either. Amaya is the better blocker and a decent pitch framer but is in the 3rd percentile in MLB in caught stealing above-average. Gomes is more adept at catching potential base stealers but is currently the worst catcher in the league in framing.

When your catchers are below-average defenders and are poor at the plate even relative to other backstops, that is cause for legitimate concern.

Kyle Hendricks

Kyle Hendricks has earned the utmost respect from Cubs fans. Hendricks has spent more than a decade in Chicago — the only team he has played for in his MLB career. From 2014-20, the right-hander posted a 3.12 ERA and helped lead the Cubs to their historic World Series victory in 2016. But post-pandemic the veteran has not been the same player on the mound.

Hendricks had an ERA of 4.77 in 2021 and 4.80 in 2022 before posting a bounce-back season in 2023 with an ERA of 3.74. He endured slow starts in 2021 and 2022 and missed the first eight weeks of 2023 before finding his stride in the middle of the year. Yet his first seven appearances in 2024 have been awful in comparison to his recent early-season issues.

The 34-year-old has a 10.57 ERA and leads Major League Baseball with 36 earned runs despite a stint on the IL. His walk rate of 3.2 BB/9 is the worst of his career and a worrying trend for a pitcher so dependent on control. Hendricks has just one start with fewer than four earned runs allowed and has not pitched past the fifth inning. This could be the end of the line for the once-great Cubs right-hander.