3 awful spring training performances Cubs fans are overreacting to before Opening Day

Justin Steele got absolutely torched by the Brewers in his last start

Nothing like turning in a clunker before you go sit on a plane for 14+ hours, right? After missing his previous start due to flu-like symptoms, Justin Steele returned to the mound on Tuesday against the reigning NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers and was lit up to the tune of seven earned runs and 10 hits in just 3 2/3 innings.

That start ballooned his overall Cactus League numbers to an unsightly 9.35 ERA and .359 opponent batting average in three starts. But, again, should we be panicking about the 29-year-old southpaw? Absolutely not. We're talking about a guy who has been the epitome of consistency and reliability the last three years for the Cubs, plain and simple.

One starting pitcher has posted a lower ERA than Steele over the last two seasons: Yankees' ace Gerrit Cole, who will miss the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. In 2023, Steele finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting, going 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 30 starts. He returned from an early-season hamstring injury last year to almost identically mirror that level of performance, with a 3.07 ERA in 24 starts.

We know Steele is focused on making 30+ starts and pushing back into that 170+ innings range in 2025 and the Cubs' success, frankly, is riding on his ability to do so. This is a pitcher who has shown an ability to overcome a somewhat limited pitch mix and be the bulldog in the rotation, remiscient of former ace Jon Lester in many ways.

Bloated numbers after three spring starts is nothing to worry about, especially when you step back and look at the level of consistency he's delivered in his Cubs career. Steele will be fine and you can bet he's already forgotten about that clunker against Milwaukee as he ramps up for his regular season debut against the Dodgers in Tokyo next week.