Quintana's presence on mound and in Cubs dugout impresses Maddon
Jose Quintana has been with the Cubs only since the all-star break, but if first impressions are important, consider some important work done.
"As advertised," manager Joe Maddon said Sunday at of Wrigley Field, ahead of Quintana's start Tuesday night at San Francisco. "Any more sincere, humble human being I don't know. He's all of that and very talented on top of it.
"I watch him in the dugout. And I watch him in exchanges with (catcher) Willson Contreras, (who) is younger than him. Willson has not played as much as he has. But he diligently looks him in the eyeballs and listens to what Willson has to say during the course of a game without any judgment or pushback or anger. He's just listening to Willson. That's impressive."
It helps that Quintana perpetually wears a smile around the clubhouse, but the Cubs obtained him from the White Sox for a couple key reasons. They needed to upgrade their starting rotation if they were going to make a serious run at defending their world championship.
And they needed to get a jump on 2018, when it's likely Jake Arrieta and John Lackey will be elsewhere.
Arrieta is well on his way to rebuilding his market value and being in line for a huge free-agent contract this coming off-season.
In Monday night's series opener against the Giants, Arrieta worked 6 ⅓ innings, giving up 9 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) as the Cubs held on to beat the Giants 5-3. That improved Arrieta's record to 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA and a WHIP of 1.21.
Since the All-Star Game break, though, he has been even better. Arrieta has turned in 5 quality starts, going 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA and a WHIP of 0.92.
If Arrieta and Lackey leave after this season, the Cubs would have Jon Lester, Quintana and Kyle Hendricks at the top of their rotation heading into the off-season. Lefty Mike Montgomery is a possibility as the fourth starter, but he has been valuable as a swing man. Even so, team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer will have to find more pitching.
Quintana came to the Cubs in a July 13 trade that sent highly rated prospects Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease to the White Sox as well as two other minor-leaguers. Taking some of the sting out of losing Jimenez and Cease is the fact that the 28-year-old Quintana is under contract control through the 2020 season. In 2018, Quintana will collect $8.85 million, with club options of $10.5 million in 2019 and 2020.
Quintana made his Cubs debut July 16 at Baltimore, pitching 7 shutout innings in an 8-0 Cubs victory. Since coming to the Cubs, Quintana has a 2-1 record with a 4.13 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00 in 4 starts entering Tuesday.
"I see him in the hallways," Maddon said. "Always a nice little smile on his face and the fact that he just looks prepared all the time. He's just a good guy. He's a good guy that happens to be a very good pitcher.
"He's just a happy person. I think it's awesome. When you walk in the clubhouse, come on. You're always going to get the dour guy and the guy that just wears whatever he wants to wear on his face. But there's guys like (Quintana) that really helps pick everybody else up. I have been nothing but impressed."
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