Ranking top 4 Chicago Cubs prospects who could make an impact soon

Chicago Cubs: 4 prospects who could make an impact soon – #1: Justin Steele

We put Justin Steele at the top our list not because he is the number one prospect in the Cubs farm system but because he got the nod on Tuesday in his big league starting debut against Milwaukee.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups

The young southpaw tossed five frames, allowing three earned runs against the first-place Brewers. After getting hit hard in the fourth in the form of a pair of long balls, Steele settled down, got out of the inning and then tossed a scoreless fifth, to boot – a promising sign for a young arm.

Earlier in the season, Steele pitched a total on 13 1/3 innings in relief and posted a magnificent 2.03 ERA and 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings with the big league club.

Steele was off to a fantastic start with the big league club before going down with injury back in May. He recently returned to Triple-A Iowa in June where he has a 1.32 ERA in 27 1/3 frames.

The fact he has already been so strong at both Triple-A and in the bigs is a great sign for both him and the Chicago Cubs moving forward.

Steele is the exact type of player the Cubs need to make an impact. It helps the team save money in the offseason and adds a southpaw to the rotation, something Chicago sorely lacks. He’s my number one guy to keep an eye on down the stretch – to see if he can permanently secure a spot in the rotation long-term.