It’s not a surprise at this point, and it is certainly well-deserved. But it’s still nice to bask in the announcement, and use it as a celebration of the pitcher Justin Steele has become.
He has now ascended to the “Opening Day Starting Pitcher” label:
Justin Steele, 28, was an All-Star in 2023, continuing his breakout from the second half of 2022. He posted a 3.06 ERA over 173.1 innings, was worth 4.9 WAR, and gave the Cubs a chance to win virtually every time he took the mound.
Without question, Steele is hoping to take another step forward in 2024 – who isn’t? – but I think everyone around here would be EXTREMELY happy if he were simply able to repeat his success from 2023. He was a stud.
Opening Day for the Chicago Cubs is March 28 in Texas against the reigning world champion Rangers, at 6:35pm CT on ESPN.