Cishek, Bass getting job done out of Chicago Cubs' bullpen

Cubs relief pitcher Steve Cishek hardly lifted weights or played long toss in high school. He was a self-described “late bloomer.”

Cishek, a Massachusetts native, played college ball at Division II Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee. He will admit he wasn't accustomed to the level of work being a college athlete required.

“I had some guys on our team that pushed me, and that's what took me to the next level,” Cishek said. “There was potential there that was untapped that I didn't realize was there.”

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound right-hander has become one of the most consistent arms out of the Cubs' bullpen this season. He has made more appearances (41) than any Cubs pitcher and holds a 1.83 ERA in 39⅓ innings through Sunday.

When he set foot on campus at Carson-Newman, his fastball topped out in the low 80s. With the right focus and regimen, by the time his freshman year started that spring he was hitting the low 90s.

“We had the right coaching staff to bring that out,” Cishek said. “I don't think it matters what school you go to.”

The Marlins drafted Cishek in the fifth round of the 2007 draft. He played parts of six seasons with the Marlins before bouncing around to St. Louis, Seattle and Tampa Bay. Cishek signed with the Cubs as a free agent in December.

He's not the only former Division II ballplayer to find success with the Cubs.

Relief pitcher Anthony Bass, who grew up in Michigan, was selected in the fifth round of the 2008 draft by the San Diego Padres after playing at D-II Wayne State in Detroit.

“If you're good enough, from my experience, scouts are going to find you,” Bass said. “Word-of-mouth spreads quickly. If you're performing, it's going to get the attention of scouts.”

The right-hander was with the Padres from 2011-13 before stints with the Houston Astros (2014) and Texas Rangers (2015). He spent all of 2016 in Japan before returning to Texas in 2017 and then signing with the Cubs during the off-season.

In between all of that, Bass earned his degree a decade after he was drafted. He started taking classes again in 2016 and had just more than 30 credit hours to complete.

In Japan, playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Bass had a little bit more time on his hands. Starting pitchers in Japan can leave games in which they are not pitching after the third inning, so Bass utilized his extra time wisely.

“It's definitely challenging,” he said. “It's more or less time management, knowing when to knock out certain assignments.”

Bass made it to the big leagues by setting goals in incremental steps.

At Wayne State, he just wanted to stand out among pitchers in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He wasn't worried about MLB scouts or the rest of D-II baseball. While there, he got to know future NFL running back Joique Bell.

The two lived in the same dorm as freshmen, and they still keep in contact.

Bell, who was trying to make it as a D-II running back, famously worked security at Detroit Lions training camp one summer in college before years later leading the Lions in rushing.

Bell was signed and released by four different NFL teams, playing on numerous practice squads, before finally earning his chance to play in Detroit.

“A situation like mine and Joique's, we really had to open up people's eyes to get noticed,” Bass said. “I knew in order to play professional baseball, I needed to do something different, something unique. Whatever that is, just find your niche and go for it.”

Bass became the highest draft pick out of Wayne State and the first major-leaguer from the school since 1988.

In 14⅓ innings of relief for the Cubs this season, Bass, currently on the disabled list (illness), has a 0.63 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 1 walk.

Cishek became Carson-Newman's first MLB player since 1985.

“The first day in I was watching guys in rookie ball throwing 95 (mph), every single one of them,” Cishek said. “I had never seen anything like it. I was at a D-II school; it puts it into perspective.”

Cishek put part of his signing bonus toward finishing his degree in physical education during his first year in the minors. He wanted a fallback plan.

Ten years later, he still hasn't needed it.

• Twitter: @sean_hammond