Steele doesn't rule out being a starter
Since 2015, Cubs lefthander Justin Steele has been strictly a starter in the minor leagues. His major-league debut on Monday was 1 1/3 innings of relief and a day later, he was asked if starting is still in his future.
"I'm a guy that has five pitches - a two-seam, a four-seam, a cut slider, curveball and a changeup," he said. "Out of the pen, you're usually going to see my best two or three pitches, which is usually my fastball, slider, curveball. Out of the bullpen, it's kind of hard to throw all five pitches.
"I still have all five, I work on them every day. I'm not going to say it's out of the picture, but for right now I'm happy where I'm at. I'm just happy to be in the big leagues."
Steele also gave a scouting report on the state of the Cubs pitching prospects. The team's minor league system hasn't provided much mound help in recent years.
"I would say it's a little undervalued," Steele said. "I think we have some really good arms in our system, honestly. We've got people like Brailyn Marquez who's throwing 100 miles an hour and what is he like 21 years old? That's unheard of.
"It's incredible, the kind of arms we have in our system. Tyson Miller, he got called up for a little bit last year, that's another great arm. We've got a bunch of dudes. It's part of the business, you've got to wait your turn and whatnot. I would say its undervalued."
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls