Justin Steele Getting Early NL Cy Young Attention

Something nice for your off-day – I’m truly going to be scrambling to find nice things for the day to keep myself from popping off on everyone with whom I come into contact.

When folks survey the early landscape for Cy Young candidates in the National League, Justin Steele is getting some love:

That came out even after Steele’s rough outing in Houston (for which, by the way, he was sick; and also it wasn’t really THAT bad), so he’s still getting appropriate love. That group there is almost the exact top five in WAR in the NL (you’d swap out Zach Wheeler for Clayton Kershaw, who is actually sixth). By ERA, Steele is also fifth. He, Keller, and Gallen are the only three NL starters in the top five for both ERA and WAR.

So, all in all, I’d say it’s quite correct to have him in this mix right now.

After his start last night, I’d argue Drew Smyly should be in the top ten or so of consideration. He really has been that good. He’s seventh in WAR in the NL. Heck, until his implosion in Minnesota, Marcus Stroman would’ve been in that conversation, too.

Ope, and I just made myself really angry, thinking about how good some of these Cubs starters have been and how it hasn’t mattered when the bullpen blows it …