If The Cubs Want To Win In The Future, They Need Justin Steele

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There’s a lot that the Chicago Cubs don’t have, but they do have this: elite starting pitching.

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Steele is the top “bulldog” of the rotation and the best in all of Major League Baseball. No, not Paul Skenes or anyone else; it’s our “Man of Steele.” After reading this article to the last sentence, you’ll be convinced this statement is fact, not fiction. I’d go so far as to say his talents are underrated, but the threat of his possible trade in a couple of weeks suggests otherwise.

As long and painful as this season has been, moving this Cubs’ hurler seriously hurt the team and led to an arduous rebuild that no one wanted or expected. The Cubs can make a bold statement about their plans for success and create some goodwill in the process by extending Justin Steele.

Starting pitcher is the most important position on the diamond. Working sometimes only once a week, the starting pitcher is charged with performing his role with poise, confidence, and a certain measure of stubbornness. He sets the tone and, if inadequate, shifts a manager’s whole approach to winning a nine-inning game. Due to his skill set, tenacity, and coveted intangibles, Justin Steele is currently the best one going in the majors.

What are you looking for in a starting pitcher? A lethal fastball? Check. He throws it a lot and gets batters out with it a lot (22.0%). How about a sterling WHIP? Yes. For his career, Steele boasts a 1.20. And then, lastly, how about longevity? Got that one, too. This year, especially, Steele goes at least six innings more often than the shake machine at McDonald’s breaks down. So there you have it: he checks the boxes that are there but also the boxes that aren’t there.

To be a great pitcher, one must care about winning and his team. Steele is one of the only true leaders on this team, behaving with a sense of urgency and an understanding of what this game and this team mean to the city. I don’t believe in coincidence, so there’s no question that the Cubbies’ mini-run they had before the first half ended was ignited when Steele laid into his teammates and started demanding more.

Without turning it into a shtick or counterproductive measure, Steele’s passion and strive for success is something every clubhouse needs, especially on the North Side of Chicago. Listen, I’m not naive enough to think that Steele will be in anything but another team’s uniform by the start of August, but it’s a move that will haunt Tom Ricketts’ organization for years to come.

An undeniable truism of the game is this: “You can never have enough pitching.” This is one department, at least from a starting pitching rotation perspective, where the Cubs enjoy tremendous wealth. With the potential departure of Steele and his leadership, that wealth could soon turn into poverty.

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