Chicago Cubs Adding One of the Most Well-Regarded Pitching Experts in Baseball, Tyler Zombro

The Chicago Cubs are adding an up-and-coming coach/trainer/analyst on the pitching side, Tyler Zombro from Tread Athletics.

Jeff Passan with the scoop:

Formerly a Rays pitching prospect who pitched the 2023 season in the Rangers organization before hanging up the pro spikes and moving over full-time into his pitching specialist role with Tread, Zombro is roundly seen as a guy who has a long and bright future ahead of him in the game. That the Cubs pounced quickly is good to know, and the fact that he immediately becomes a special assistant means he is EXTREMELY well-regarded. This is the kind of thing the Cubs need to be prioritizing to stay ahead of the curve long-term, even as, yes, they also need to be working on the big league roster.

Fun fact, I recently shared a video from Zombro because it discussed a pitch Ben Brown has used to great effect:

If the name Tyler Zombro otherwise sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because he was the pitcher who was struck by a comeback in 2021, leading to a particularly significant head injury. It was really, really scary, and it is in some way extra heartening to know that he has been able to continue impacting the game in such a meaningful way thereafter. And now he is with the Cubs.

We will have more on Zombro’s background and role going forward, as I suspect he is going to have some prominent responsibilities in the years ahead. It looks like he really is into all phases of pitcher performance, from immediate results to long-term training to health and durability. Maybe a long-term replacement for Craig Breslow? Or at least perhaps that’s the hope?

The reaction from folks in the know on the pitching development side are universal in their praise:

Zombro is a stud. Excellent hire by the Cubs.

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— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36.bsky.social) November 18, 2024 at 1:47 PM