We already know Porter Hodge was an incredible success story for the Cubs organization in 2024.

But just how successful Hodge was during his rookie campaign is a mind-blowing.

There is a strong case that the 23-year-old right-hander just turned in the best rookie season by a reliever in the long history of the Cubs franchise.

In 39 appearances, Hodge posted a 3-1 record with a 1.88 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 9 saves, 9 holds and 52 strikeouts in 43 innings.

His WHIP was the lowest by a rookie in Cubs history – the next closest was Neil Ramirez in 2014 (1.05 WHIP).

Hodge also holds the mark for the lowest opponent batting average (.132) and lowest opposing slugging percentage (.215) by Cubs rookie relievers with at least 35 games.

His 10.88 K/9 is 2nd only to Ramirez’s 10.92 mark in 2014 and only 2 rookie pitchers had more saves than Hodge – Bruce Sutter in 1976 and Oscar Zamora in 1974 each had 10 saves.

Hodge’s 213 ERA+ (which adjusts for league and ballpark factors) ranked 2nd behind Ramirez’s 264 ERA+ in ’14. They’re the only 2 rookie relievers in franchise history with an ERA+ above 200 (among those with at least 35 games).

In the Live Ball Era (since 1920), Hodge is 1 of 4 rookie relievers to post a WHIP under 1.00, an ERA under 2.00, hold opponents to a batting average below .150 and average more than 10 K/9 in at least 40 innings.

The only other pitchers to accomplish that feat? Cincinnati’s Alexis Diaz in 2022, the Yankees’ Dellin Betances in 2014 and the Angels’ Troy Percival in 1995.

[WATCH: Porter Hodge reflects on his rookie season, closing games for Cubs]

For Hodge, a big part of his success was keeping things simple.

“Remembering the mentality – don’t overcomplicate things,” he said. “High-leverage situations or whatnot, be the same guy every time. Attack the hitters and have the same mentality every time you go out.”

Hodge’s season is even more remarkable given the context of his journey to the big leagues.

The Cubs selected the big right-hander in the 13th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Cottonwood High School in Utah.

He only pitched in 5 games in Rookie Ball in 2019 before the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season. He served as a starter in 2021 and 2022 and began the 2023 campaign in the rotation as well.

But after some struggles with Double-A Tennessee, the Cubs moved Hodge to the bullpen during the middle of the 2023 season.

Last November, the Cubs elected to add Hodge to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and he started 2024 in the Triple-A bullpen.

Because he was on the 40-man roster already, Hodge was called up to the big leagues in late-May when the Chicago pitching staff was hit hard by injuries. At that point, even his manager, Craig Counsell, admitted it was probably a little soon in his development for Hodge to be in the big leagues.

But from his 1st outing, Hodge proved he belonged. In his MLB debut, he faced the heart of the Atlanta Braves lineup and struck out all 3 batters on only 10 pitches.

The Cubs breifly moved Hodge back to the minors in June as pitchers returned from injury, but they called him back up on June 21 and he spent the rest of the year in the big-league bullpen.

[WATCH: Tommy Hottovy assesses Cubs pitching staff, building a bullpen and more]

As the Cubs continued to tinker with the group of relievers, trying to find the right mix, Hodge provided a sense of stability down the stretch and ultimately claimed the 9th-inning role.

That included closing out a combined no-hitter as well as Kyle Hendricks’ send-off outing on the final weekend of the season.

“It’s been an amazing growth season for Porter,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “Coming from a guy who wasn’t far removed from not throwing and pitching in the COVID year and the things that he went through in ’21 and then being a starter, then starting in Double-A, then he’s throwing multiple innings [as a reliever] to now he’s closing games in the big leagues.

“That is an amazing journey in 12-18 months for him. I give him a ton of credit for the work that he put in. I also give a lot of the coordinators and the coaches that have been around him over the last couple years to help guide him on that path.”

Hottovy and the Cubs want to get to a point where they have pitchers like Hodge burst onto the scene every year. It’s something Jed Hoyer and the front office has tried to accomplish since Hoyer and Theo Epstein took over in 2011.

Pitching injuries are as prevalent as ever in today’s game and by nature, relievers and bullpens are volatile. The Cubs can’t guarantee that the pitchers who succeeded in 2024 will do so again in 2025.

[MORE: What Cubs learned about early season bullpen woes]

That said, they feel confident and optimistic about Hodge’s future based on his talent and makeup.

“For a 23-year-old kid in his first experience in the big leagues, he carries himself like a veteran,” Hottovy said. “And when I say that, he takes as good of care as his body as probably anybody that I’ve seen.

“It’s a testament to his family and the people that raised him and brought him up that taught him what’s important and how to take care of yourself. … That’s just the consistency of who he is as a person.”

Hottovy and the Cubs also tried to instill in Hodge that success can be fleeting in the majors. The rest of the league can adjust fast.

But they believe in his competitive fire.

“He’s very light-hearted, he likes to be laid back,” Hottovy said. “But when the phone rings and it’s his time to go, he becomes a different person and goes out there and absolutely dominantes.

“The one thing we always talk about with young guys is like, you’ve had success. It’s been a great year. We’ve learned a lot. Don’t ever take anything for granted in this game. … Most guys won’t have 10 years [in the big leagues], so take advantage of it. This is your job. This is your life. And he does an amazing job of that.”