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An intriguing youngster may have put the Chicago Cubs’ concerns to rest about a crucial position that has been up in the air for much of the season.

A list of the top rookies in MLB was recently published by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. While McDaniel didn’t place Porter Hodge in the top fifteen, he did give the reliever his opinion.

“Hodge has pitched well enough that it looks as if he might now be the Cubs’ closer of the future,” according to the journalist. Chicago would be remiss to ignore the 23-year-old after his stellar play this season, even though he did not come into the season with his future with the team written all over him.

The Cubs searched for a closer for the first several months by throwing a bunch of names at the wall. Since Adbert Alzolay was the one in charge last season and performed adequately, he was first cast as the lead. Something obviously had to change because he blew five saves in his first fourteen appearances before being hurt.

The news that Alzolay would need Tommy John surgery only added insult to injury; he will be out for quite some time, making it very unlikely that he would be able to regain his starting position.

After stepping in for a portion of the season, Hector Neris was let go so that younger players could get their shot. Neris has been doing fine ever since returning to the Houston Astros.

Despite other candidates being mentioned, Hodge has established himself as the team’s go-to guy and shows no signs of relinquishing the position anytime soon.

Coming out of high school, the Utah native was selected by the MLB in the 13th round of the 2019 draft. After struggling in his first two seasons as a starter in the minors, he realized that his best chance of making it to the majors was to move to the bullpen.

Not surprisingly for a pitcher with his stature (6 feet 4 inches and 230 pounds), he relies heavily on his deadly slider and excellent fastball. Since being called up to the MLB roster, he has made 27 appearances, and in that time he has amassed a 1.41 ERA, four saves, and nine holds.

He appears prepared to continue leading the team next season after excelling in saving situations. Instead of making adding a closer a priority this offseason, Chicago appears to have stumbled into a solution to a crucial conundrum.