Last season, newcomer, Marcus Stroman deferred to Kyle Hendricks, but this year Stroman has proven to be the Cubs ace. The 31-year-old righty has started the season 2-0 and hasn’t allowed a run in 12 innings pitched. I just read the last time a Cubs starter got off to a similar start was in 1991-Mike Bielecki was the culprit.

I hope Stroman doesn’t cede the ace position to Hendricks when he returns. Stroman is an alpha dog, he has embraced the role and feeds off the energy at Wrigley-like no other starter on the staff. While rotations don’t always sync up for battles between aces, Stroman seems to welcome that particular challenge.

He’s always been aggressive, however it seemed to sap some of his pitching ability. He seemed distracted and more worried about the glare of the spotlight, always trying to prove he was tough enough.

If you are lucky enough to attend one of his starts, I recommend getting there early enough to watch him during the pregame. Long-toss is probably the least enjoyable thing to watch, but the rest of his schtick is worth one’s attention.

That Stroman is the first of the current crop of free agents to sign a multi-year deal with the Cubs might have given him the courage to assume this leadership role. It will be interesting to see if he opts out after this season or renegotiates an extension. His perception of where the Cubs are headed might be the best gauge in determining where the Cubs really stand.

Regardless of the long term impact, it’s been fun to watch him pitch. Not every team’s supposed ace is living up to the billing right now.