Stro-Show! Marcus Stroman should start the 2023 All-Star game |
June has been much kinder to the Cubs than May, and Chicago has battled back from last place to near .500 and in third place as the All-Star break approaches.
The bullpen has faced its well-documented fair share of struggles. The starting lineup has seen players like Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Patrick Wisdom, Seiya Suzuki, and Christopher Morel have high highs and low lows. Eric Hosmer, Nick Madrigal, Matt Mervis, Edwin Rios, Trey Mancini, Luis Torrens, Miles Mastrobouni, and Tucker Barnhart have been more disappointing than they have been successful. Justin Steele, Cody Bellinger, Brad Boxberger, and others have faced some injuries — but the most consistent aspect of the Cubs thus far has been the performance of Marcus Stroman. Whether the Cubs had won eight of ten or lost eight of ten, they knew that every fifth day Marcus Stroman was going to give them a solid chance to win any game — and that started on Opening Day when Stro poured in six shutout innings with eight strikeouts. Stroman has turned in six out of 17 outings allowing no runs, and an additional eight starts allowing two or fewer runs. From May 19 to June 20, the Cubs won all seven of Marcus Stroman’s starts — highlighted by Stroman’s one-hitter when he dominated the best in baseball Tampa Bay Rays on Memorial Day. Through a league-leading 17 starts, Stroman leads the National League in wins, WAR, hits per 9 innings, complete games, shutouts, wins saved, and is third in ERA. He has been a consistent, reliable ace for David Ross’ pitching staff all season long — and has truly set the tone for the starting rotation that leads the National League in wins and ERA, followed by Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, Drew Smyly, and Jameson Taillon/ Hayden Wesneski. A few weeks ago, Stroman’s success led to the rumors swirling that the Cubs would trade him at the deadline to maximize his return since he has an opt-out after 2023, and the way he is performing; he would likely use it. However, Stroman has told the media and his followers on Twitter that he doesn’t want to be traded. He loves Chicago and has tried to communicate with the front office about being in Chicago long-term. Now that the Cubs are performing much better, Stroman’s long-term future is certainly something that needs to be discussed by Jed Hoyer and the front office — as losing him at any point would prolong the rebuild mightily — but the fact of the matter is Stroman as returned to pitching like an ACE and has put the entire league on notice. Just behind Stroman in the rotation has been Justin Steele. He has missed a few starts due to injury but has still made a strong 14 starts and holds an excellent 8-2 record. His ERA of 2.62 sits third in the NL, and he ranks near the top of every stat that Stroman leads. Steele picked up where he left off last season and has returned in 2023 as one of the NL’s best starters. In the previous calendar year, he had a 2.16 ERA in over 130 innings pitched, averaging over one strikeout per inning and not giving up a lot of hard contact. He had an ERA below 1.00 after the All-Star break last year and has only allowed more than three runs in a start three times in the previous year. Steele’s dominance went international on Saturday, with six innings allowing just one run on eight strikeouts, tying his season high. All of this points to the question that should be a definitive yes, will Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele even be all All-Stars? The answer should be yes, and it would be Stro’s second-ever All-Star game — first in the National League and Steele’s first overall. The MLB does not let fans pick the pitchers but rather a combination of players and coaches, so there is no guarantee, although the fans are voting on starters currently until the end of the week. But an interesting thing to notice is that when the Cubs had two days off before playing in London last week against the Cardinals, the Cubs set up their rotation to have both Justin Steele and Marcus Stroman pitch in London against St. Louis. What initially looked like a strategic ploy to show off your best two pitchers overseas may have had an ulterior motive as the All-Star Game approaches. With a regular five days rest schedule, Steele and Stroman would be available on normal rest to pitch in the All-Star game. Both have been good enough to be All-Stars, and one could become the first Cubs player to start an All-Star game on their mound since Claude Passeau in 1946. Make it happen, MLB!
