The Chicago Cubs entered the 2025 season with an emerging bullpen arm. That reliever was none other than Porter Hodge.

Hodge was coming off a breakout campaign in 2024 in which he finished with a 1.88 ERA and 52 strikeouts across 43 innings pitched. He also earned the Cubs’ closer job by the end of the season, converting eight of his nine save opportunities across the final six weeks.

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Hodge really became a reliable bullpen arm for the Cubs back in 2024. He allowed zero runs in 34 of his 39 appearances and had a 1.32 ERA in his final 13 games of that season.

As a result, the front office was confident that Hodge would continue to grow and remain a consistent arm for this bullpen in 2025. That’s how much potential he showed on the mound during his rookie season.

Unfortunately, the young right-hander had a bit of a sophomore slump this past year. Hodge had a whopping 6.27 ERA across 33 innings pitched, and it felt like he allowed a run every time he stepped foot on the mound. That led to him spending most of the second half on the injured list and at Triple-A Iowa.

So, what went wrong for Hodge in 2025?

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Honestly, it was a little bit of everything. But the biggest difference between his 2024 success and 2025 struggles was the ineffectiveness of his sweeper.

Back in 2024, Hodge generated a 51.8% whiff rate on his sweeper while holding opposing hitters to a .070 batting average. He allowed only two extra base hits on that pitch (zero homers), and 28 of his 52 strikeouts came on that sweeper alone.

In 2025, though, the sweeper was his worst pitch. Opposing hitters batted .281 with a .641 slugging, and the whiff rate on that pitch dropped to 27.4%. With less vertical movement on that sweeper by over one inch, hitters were all over it.

Given those struggles last year, Hodge simply has to prove himself again. He’ll likely go into Spring Training fighting for a roster spot, and how he performs throughout the spring will determine whether he’s on the Cubs’ Opening Day roster.

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The potential is definitely there for Hodge to regain his rookie form. His four-seam fastball/sweeper combo was absolutely lethal back in 2024.

Now, it’s all about getting back to that form. If he can throw that sweeper the way he threw it back in his first year in the Majors, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make the Opening Day roster. The key for him is showcasing that sweeper swing-and-miss stuff in the spring.