3 overlooked Chicago Cubs stories from the season's first month

Mark Leiter Jr. continues to be en elite reliever nobody talks about

Before getting walked off on Sunday Night Baseball, Cubs right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. picked up right where he left off late last summer before he ran out of gas. His go-to putaway pitch, a splitter, ranks as one of the most effective single pitches in all of baseball and, when it's dialed in, he can be unhittable to both lefties and righties.

With 14 appearances under his belt already on the young season, Leiter Jr. boasts an impressive 0.69 ERA and is yet to allow a long ball. Cutting down on the walks (as we saw with the leadoff walk coming around to haunt him on Sunday in the ninth) will be a focal point for the right-hander, but he's been a steady presence in the bullpen as it works through some things.

Counsell has been unable to rely on several key pieces in the pen in the early going, but Leiter has been a constant - and will need to continue to be as the season wears on. So far, so good.