Cubs: Justin Steele might deserve the NL Cy Young Award

The Chicago Cubs are in a great spot. They are just behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central Division.

They are also safely in a Wild Card spot. Any of the three Wild Card spots works for them but they’d like to win the division.

The Cubs are not going to have a bye week as it is very unlikely that they catch the Atlanta Braves or Los Angeles Dodgers at this point.

However, making the playoffs at all is good for them based on where they were at the beginning of July. They have really turned it on.

The Chicago Cubs have seen Justin Steele develop into an elite pitcher.

One of the reasons that they are having a good season is the play of Justin Steele. He has really assumed the role of the ace on the staff.

As of right now, the former fifth-round pick is one of the best pitchers in the league. This is his third season (all with the Cubs).

Steele is 16-3 with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.138 WHIP. He has 153 strikeouts in 152.0 innings pitched. There is no doubt that he has been leading the way with these gaudy statistics.

His sensational season has earned him a few things in addition to becoming the number one guy on the staff.

For one, he was a National League All-Star back in July and he did a great job representing the Cubs. That was a little taste of what he was going to become.

At this point in time, Steele is a bonified Cy Young Award candidate in the NL. He has been one of the best pitchers in the league all season long.

There are tons of other good pitchers in the NL as well that believe that they deserve it and Steele is clearly among them.

He might not be as big of a name in terms of recognition right now but being in this conversation will surely change that. He has earned the right to be in the mix for such a prestigious award.

When the playoffs come around, you can expect Steele to get the ball in their first game no matter what. There are some question marks behind him but they will certainly be confident in that first game.

It has been a treat to watch all season long and we can only hope he keeps up the good stuff. If he wins the Cy Young, that would be amazing.