Cubs name Steele Opening Day starter; Taillon (back) scratched
On the pitching front, there was some expected news and some concerning news coming out of the Cubs' training camp Saturday.
Manager Craig Counsell announced left-hander Justin Steele is going to be the Opening Day starter when the Cubs play the Rangers at Texas on March 28.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon, who joins Steele, newcomer Shota Imanaga, Kyle Hendricks and Javier Assad or Jordan Wicks in the Cubs' rotation, was scratched from Saturday's scheduled Cactus League start with lower back tightness.
Counsell said Taillon's back locked up when he was on the mound warming up to face the Rockies. The Cubs are expected to have a follow-up announcement on Taillon Sunday.
Steele was the obvious choice to get the ball for the season opener.
The 28-year-old starter was 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA last season and he finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting.
“It’s awesome,” Steele told reporters Saturday. “Obviously, just a great accomplishment. It really makes me just think back on the road that it took to get here. Seven years in the minor leagues, not a traditional path. Coming out of high school, young age and stuff, it just kind of made me reminisce a little bit.
“Appreciate the long road that it took for me to get here and it’s obviously just a lot of emotions. It feels great. It’s quite the honor. I’m looking forward to the day and let’s make it a special season.”
Steele was the Cubs' fifth-round draft pick in 2014 out of George County High School in Lucedale, Mississippi.
Never viewed as a can't-miss prospect while going 18-23 with a 3.44 ERA over 89 games (80 starts) in the minors, Steele broke in with the Cubs in 2021 as a reliever and quickly thrived when he was moved to the rotation in early August.
Steele is now considered a top-end starter and he's clearly earned his first Opening Day nod.
“Justin’s got himself to a great place, it’s something you earn,” Counsell said. “I think it’s important for the player, that’s why it’s such a good feeling. He throws a baseball in a way and it just does a little something different each time and that is hard for hitters. Hitters don’t like what they don’t see very often and they’re used to calibrating to a movement on a pitch.
“Then when it moves differently the next time and they’re never really sure what to expect, that’s what makes it hard for them to square the baseball up on him.”