Chicago Cubs: 5 Predictions for Jeff Samardzija in the Starting Rotation

The Chicago Cubs are finally giving pitcher Jeff Samardzija a shot in their rotation, and if his first start of the season was a sign of things to come, then it looks like the team made the right choice.

Against the Washington Nationals, Samardzija went 8.2 innings, striking out eight batters and allowing just one earned run. Despite the team nearly losing the game, Samardzija came away with the win.

The Cubs will be betting big on Samardzija doing well this season, as they took out one of their most dominant relievers to see what he can do starting the game on the mound.

Time will tell, but for now 2012 may be the year the Samardzija emerges as the a major component of the Cubs' future plans.

He Will Have the Lowest ERA in the Cubs Rotation

It is no secret that Jeff Samardzija has been hit-or-miss over the last few seasons.

While his career ERA with the Chicago Cubs is 4.40, the former Notre Dame product came through strong during the second half of the 2011 season, recording an ERA of 2.97.

Of course, that was in a relief role, but Samardzija should be able bring that shutdown ability each day he starts.

His stuff looked good in his first start, but he will need to mostly prove that he can be consistent with that type of pitching as he will be taking on more innings in 2012.

Still, with pitchers like Ryan Dempster, Chris Volstad and Paul Maholm in the rotation, the only man that stands between Samardzija and the top is Matt Garza.

That is quite an obstacle, but it could definitely happen if Samardzija keeps improving with each start.

He Will Surpass Ryan Dempster in the Rotation

Ryan Dempster looked solid in his first start for the Chicago Cubs this season, but considering how his ERA has been inflating over the last three seasons, many can't be so sure he will keep it up as the season goes on.

The order of the rotation doesn't really make a huge deal to most, but most would right now consider Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster to be the guys who lead this Cubs pitching staff.

As Dempster's numbers may end up looking more like some of his past few seasons, or perhaps his final year of his contract is moved toward the trade deadline, Jeff Samardzija will begin to emerge as the No. 2 guy in the team's rotation.

He Will Have a Winning Record

While this also depends on the fact that the Chicago Cubs will need to score runs, one can assume that Jeff Samardzija will put together a winning record this season if he continues to pitch strong.

Last season, no Cubs pitcher had a record over .500 with 10 wins or more, as Matt Garza went 10-10. Ryan Dempster also had 10 wins, but that went along with his 14 losses. The only two pitchers that went over .500 were Carlos Zambrano and Randy Wells, who went 9-7 and 7-6, respectively.

Samardzija will definitely need to rack up the wins, but considering the Cubs should fare somewhat better this season than last, the No. 3 guy in the rotation could be the one to pile up the wins.

One could assume Garza should do the same, but wins coming for these Cubs starters in 2012 will likely be relatively scarce.

He Will Go over 200 Innings

In 75 relief appearances last season, Jeff Samardzija went a total of 88 innings for the Chicago Cubs.

After going nearly a complete game in his first outing, fans should expect to see Samardzija on the mound for quite some time each game.

As mentioned, Ryan Dempster may get shaky, and there is really no guarantees for the back end of the rotation. With that said, the Cubs are going to need Samardzija to stick it out so that the relievers could get some rest when needed.

Samardzija also has a fresh arm since this is his first year truly starting, so hopefully that will allow him to eat up as many innings as possible.

He Will Earn a Spot in the Team's Future Rotations

As mentioned in the introduction, the Chicago Cubs are clearly building for their future. While many will hope that the team's top pitcher, Matt Garza, will be in the picture for quite some time, right now things are rather incomplete beyond that.

There is a lot riding on the future of offseason acquisitions Travis Wood and possibly Gerardo Concepcion, so it would be nice to know that Jeff Samardzija will fit into those plans as well.

There is no doubt that he could be a solid contributor to the team's bullpen, but they also wouldn't likely complain if they found out this season that he could be a stud in the rotation.

Samardzija still has quite the uphill battle, but if he can prove himself this season, a starting spot in the future rotation is his to lose.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase