MESA, ARIZ. – Cubs lefty Justin Steele’s first game of spring training threw him right in against a fierce lineup. The heart of the Padres’ batting order Friday lined up Manny Machado, Nelson Cruz and Matt Carpenter one after another. At the top were Jake Cronenworth and Trent Grisham, who were plenty familiar with Steele from crossover in the minors.
“I felt good,” Steele said after his part in the Cubs’ combined no-hitter in a 4-0 win against the Padres. “If I do that all year, I think we’ll be in a pretty good spot.”
Steele retired all six batters he faced. He had missed his first start due to arm fatigue, but his offseason work and efficiency Friday made it possible for him to throw two innings and then head to the bullpen to toss about 25 more pitches.
“This will be the first season where he’s building up for this type of journey and carrying us hopefully throughout the season and into the postseason,” manager David Ross said. “So, he’s one of those guys we’re gonna rely heavily on, and he put in the work the offseason to be that guy.”
Steele is coming off his first full season in the rotation. He made developing his changeup a priority in the offseason.
“But if he continues to build off just having that four-seam [fastball], slider in to righties/away to lefties, and building off that, he’s pretty darn valuable and had a really good season on that,” Ross said.
Steele didn’t throw any changeups in the game because he sped through two innings too quickly. But he estimated seven to 10 of the pitches he threw in the bullpen after his outing were changeups.
“It’s in a really good spot right now,” Steele said.
Ross, a former catcher, has noticed a trend in starters’ development after getting their first full season.
“It’s an evolution about being a big leaguer,” he said. “You grow, and you learn how to pitch. But when you have the stuff that he has, and can get hitters out in the zone with really a two-pitch mix, there’s the value. And then you learn how to locate that better, you learn how to backdoor certain things, different sides of the plate, different quadrants within the strike zone, and then also other pitches as they develop.”
Last year, a piece of advice from Cubs legend Jon Lester helped Steele find his stride. Through Ross, Lester emphasized establishing the four-seamer down and in to right-handed hitters.
Ross has been trying to get Lester out to spring training this year and said Lester wants to make it work.
“I’m a little confident we can make it happen,” Ross said. “Fifty-fifty, is that confident?”