(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
A lot of people have contributed for the 2023 Chicago Cubs and are responsible for their 78-68 record and the fact they are contenders.
However, their recent success can be mostly attributed to the performance of two players: Cody Bellinger and Justin Steele.
The former would be an MVP candidate if if wasn’t for Ronald Acuna Jr. and Mookie Betts.
The latter?
He is getting more and more recognition as a potential NL Cy Young candidate, as he should.
There’s a shakeup at the top of the NL Cy Young race.
Who gets your vote in each league? pic.twitter.com/9F1sfBNsnP
— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2023
Every now and then, MLB.com experts conduct a poll to discuss and vote for the major award favorites.
Steele was recently tabbed by these experts as the leading candidate to take home his first NL Cy Young.
Part of the Cubs’ issues in recent seasons was that they didn’t really have an ace to compete with top lineups.
Between 2022 and 2023, Steele has shown growth, maturity, and poise, becoming not only the Cubs’ ace but also one of the best starters in the league.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Steele has a 2.49 ERA in 159 innings, with 159 strikeouts and a 1.13 WHIP.
His win-loss record is a magnificent 16-3, and while wins don’t really carry much weight in the minds of voters anymore, they could be a tie-breaker in case that the race is very closely contested.
In other words, Steele has a leg up in the Cy Young competition in the National League, slightly ahead of other talented hurlers such as Blake Snell, Zac Gallen, Spencer Strider, and Zack Wheeler.
Even if he doesn’t win the award, we should all be celebrating the birth of a new ace.
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