Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon won’t measure his start in a 10-2 win Thursday against the Phillies by how deep he pitched into the game (seven innings) or the number of runs he allowed (two). He won’t even judge his success on the mere four hits he allowed or the lack of walks.
Before his next start, he’ll go through each of the 88 pitches he threw and answer, “Did I execute it the way I intended?” with a simple yes or no.
“If I’m at like 75%, there’s a good chance I had a good night,” Taillon said in a recent conversation with the Sun-Times. “That’s not how it always works, but if I’m below that, it’ll be interesting. Like, I’ll say, ‘Man, I thought I threw well, and I got the short end of the stick, and there were so many bloops.’ And I go back and look, and I’m like, ‘Hmm, I kind of stunk.’ It’s a very honest way to self-evaluate.”
That execution journal is one piece of the switch Taillon made about a year ago to a more regimented routine between starts. The changes, which Taillon implemented with the help of independent mental-skills coach Brian Cain, targeted the mental side of the game. The payoff, in conjunction with guidance from the Cubs’ coaching staff, has been consistency in performance.
“What I’ve seen is just consistency of routine and consistency of thoughts,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “I think that’s the most important thing. When guys start these mental-skills programs, it’s to recognize where you are, and where your thoughts are, and how you can make adjustments where you need to. And it’s been fun to see. He’s very focused. Very focused on what he needs to do to be successful and not thinking about too much other than that.”
Since beginning the season on the injured list, Taillon has quietly put together one of the best first-half performances in a Cubs rotation that includes Shota Imanaga, who has a chance to be an All-Star in his rookie season, and Justin Steele, who finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting last year. Taillon leads Cubs starters with a 2.99 ERA.
In 2023, a string of bad luck gave way to over-adjustments. Eight scoreless innings against the Yankees last July served as a turning point. It was also around then that Taillon refined his routine.
“I mapped out my five-day for the first time ever, like truly wrote down everything I do every single day,” Taillon said. “I have a template.”
Taillon has long prided himself in being a hard worker. But putting pen to paper forced him to stick to it. No tinkering or adding just because of a bad result. And he has carried that diligence through to this season.
“It’s interesting because I still don’t even feel like I’m my best self right now,” Taillon said. “And I’m kind of just finding a way to get creative and get people out.”
His velocity is down, with his four-seam fastball averaging 92.5 mph, compared to 93.7 last season. That was still the case Thursday, as Taillon quieted the Phillies’ bats.
“It’s a weird place to be,” he said. “I feel really good, so we don’t want to do anything crazy. But it’s also like, I know there’s more in there.”
Taillon and Hottovy have been working to find the right balance between those competing realities. If they can play it correctly, they hope they’ll unlock an even better version of the veteran pitcher.