The Chicago Cubs came into 2023 in a very odd place. After making some interesting moves in the off-season, such as signing Cody Bellinger, along with being very active in the free agent market, not many knew quite what to expect from the Cubs this season. But, nobody could’ve guessed what has come from their pitching staff. With starters such as Marcus Stroman taking a lot of the credit when it comes to media coverage, Justin Steele, and Adbert Alzolay have flown incredibly under the radar. Steele, and Alzolay have built themselves into two of the best young pitchers in baseball, yet nobody seems to notice. In today’s article, we will be covering the young stars, and why they deserve more credit than they’ve been given.

Justin Steele: CY Young Candidate

Justin Steele, a former 5th round selection in the 2014 MLB Draft was coming into 2023 looking to add to his two seasons of MLB service time. But, since the season has started, Steele has turned himself into not only a surprising riser, but an incredibly underrated CY Young candidate. Steele has made 13 starts so far, and he’s been nothing shy of incredible. In those 13 starts, Steele has pitched to a 7.64 K/9, 2.10 BB/9, 2.71 ERA, 2.1 fWAR, 21.2% K%, 5.8% BB%, 165 ERA+, and more. As you can see, Steele doesn’t necessarily present the flashiest strikeout numbers or high velocity, but that’s not to be taken lightly. With Steele barely walking batters, limiting hard contact, and limiting barrels, it’s hard not to take notice of just what he’s been doing this season.

As we previously established, Steele doesn’t possess the flashiest strikeout numbers or the highest velocity, but he has still managed to be incredible. Steele currently ranks in the top 6% of all of baseball in hard hit percentage, and the top 20% in barrel percentage. Steele is an expert at avoiding hard contact, which has definitely been a huge part of his 2023 success so far. Pairing these skills with incredibly low walk rates becomes a match made in heaven. Steele currently ranks in the top 15% when it comes to BB%. To put it simply, opposing hitters do not reach base when facing Steele. Steele currently has an opponent xwOBA of just .279, which is a very impressive mark.

While opponents have seen his fastball decently well, as they’ve posted xwOBAs of .301, opposing hitters really struggle to see his off-speed. Steele’s primary breaking ball is his wipeout slider, which has been an amazing pitch for him this season. Throwing his slider almost 34% of the time has been very beneficial as well, as opponents have posted xwOBAs of just .242 against the pitch. Not only this, but opponents are currently whiffing almost 30% of the time against his slider. With his slider averaging around 2,670 RPM, it’s easy to understand why this pitch can be challenging to hit. Weirdly enough, Steele’s fastball has generated a run value of -10 as well, which shows that hitters still have trouble hitting the pitch.

Hitters have really struggled to see Steele, and his fastball/slider combination this season, which has been great to see for the Cubs starter. After being overshadowed by Marcus Stroman for the majority of the season so far, it’s time to give the southpaw in Chicago the attention he deserves. With Steele still being just 27, there’s still room for even more improvement, which will certainly come with time.

Adbert Alzolay: Lights Out Reliever

Alzolay, a former top prospect for the Chicago Cubs, came into the 2023 season looking to do some damage on the mound. And damage he’s done, as he’s been flawless through 33 IP so far this season. In those 33 IP, Alzolay has pitched to a 9.27 K/9, 1.64 BB/9, 1.91 ERA, 0.9 fWAR, 27.9% K%, 4.9% BB%, and a 236 ERA+. As you can see, Alzolay has quite simply been lights out this season. From flashy strikeout numbers, to limiting base runners, Alzolay has quite simply been one of the best relievers in baseball. Unfortunately, relievers often not getting paid much attention to, Alzolay has flown incredibly under the radar this season.

Alzolay has one very unique trait, and that is that he is not a primary fastball thrower. Alzolay’s primary pitch is his slider, which he throws 32.5% of the time. And his slider is one of the best in baseball. Coming in at an average RPM of 2,531, Alzolay’s slider has generated very high strikeout numbers. His slider currently has an opponent xwOBA of just .230, as well as a 42.7% whiff percentage, and 16 strikeouts so far this season. Although he primarily throws his slider, Alzolay still has a pretty solid fastball to pair with the wipeout breaking ball. Alzolay’s fastball currently sits just above 2,350 RPM, which is certainly enough to decide hitters. Along with this, his fastball has generated an opponent xwOBA of just .291, which is an impressive mark. Along with this, his fastball also has a 23.4% whiff percentage, and a 22.6% put away percentage. As you can see, Alzolay’s 1-2 punch of his slider and fastball make him a huge threat to hitters.

When we look further into the numbers, we see even more of how effective Alzolay has been this season. He does not allow hard contact or barrels, as he ranks in the top 3% of all of baseball when it comes to hard hit percentage, and the top 8% of all of baseball when it comes to barrel percentage. With just a 3.7% barrel percentage, and a 26.8% hard hit percentage, you can easily see how much hitters have struggled to hit Alzolay well this season. Along with limiting hard contact, Alzolay ranks in the top 2% in xERA/xwOBA, top 8% in BB%, and the top 4% in xSLG.

With opposing hitters really struggling to touch Alzolay this season, it’s finally time to start to acknowledge his as a top reliever in baseball. Alzolay has been nothing shy of incredible this season, and with him still being 28, he’s sure to be dominant for many years to come. Alzolay is truly a weapon for the Cubs, and he’s only going to get better with age.

Steele and Alzolay: Elite Pairing

As you can see, Steele and Alzolay are an incredible duo. With Steele often throwing 5 to 6 innings of good baseball, and Alzolay coming in to back him up out of the bullpen, they truly become a very scary duo, and a terrifying threat for hitters. With a mostly young, and very interesting Cubs team on the horizon, Alzolay and Steele will be a very scary duo for years to come as well. As we’ve shown today, they deserve more credit as two of the best arms the game has to offer. As for what the rest of the year holds for the pair? We’ll just have to wait and see. But I guarantee you that WriglyVille will have an amazing time watching them continue to be elite for years to come.