The Chicago Cubs have had one of the best offenses in Major League Baseball this season, but if it wasn’t for Matthew Boyd, the Cubs wouldn’t be in first place in the National League Central.
Pitching has been a big concern all season long, but nobody has been concerned about Boyd.
The 34-year-old was selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career, posting a 9-3 record with a 2.52 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 18 starts so far this season.
Boyd takes the mound on Saturday against fellow All-Star Max Fried of the New York Yankees, but neither will be able to pitch in the Midsummer Classic.
“Boyd leads the Cubs in innings pitched, and his 12 quality starts account for a third of Chicago's total,” wrote CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson. “His contributions have been worth an estimated 2.1 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations.”
The Cubs took a flier on Boyd, who hadn’t pitched more than 78 innings since 2019, and signed him to a two-year, $29 million contract in the offseason.
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According to Anderson, targeting Boyd made sense for how the Cubs target starting pitching.
“He's increased both his average fastball velocity (by more than a mile per hour) and his usage rate (from 38.7% to 46.4%). At a time when the rest of the league is running away from heaters, the Cubs are throwing a MLB-high 47.3% four-seamers.”
His changeup is almost as effective as his pickoff move; Boyd leads MLB in pickoffs, and it isn’t particularly close.
Boyd has pitched well enough to secure a playoff game start if the Cubs make it to October.
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